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IT. In the cNetherlands 
East Indies 


BY 
BRUNO HAGSPIEL, S.V.D. 





1925 


eMISSION ®RESS, $.V.D. 
s+» TECHNY, ILLINOIS 


Permissu Superiorum 


FIRST PRINTING (1000 COPIES) OCTOBER 15, 1925 
SECOND PRINTING (2000 COPIES) DECEMBER 3, 1925 


Copyright, 1925, by the 


SOCIETY OF THE DIVINE WoRD 


Contents 


FAIR OL M kos tel rea te Leer ls AE ew a th ae Soca GEA Bnet lee 1 
RNLPOCUCTION TS Ue feed i re eae tie Sake CR Ode ERIE pole Sane e 3 
CHAPTER I 
ITAL EIN OA DOLE heresesay tal alenst eine aie eatin: wk os eles wie albie Sa 5 
CHAPTER II 
Singapore, the Greenhouse of the East ................ 14 
CHAPTER III 
JHVA LHe yGATOCNLOL ISIANG-INGIN Me eu e hs calsiceiea eles 22, 
CHAPTER IV 
ATrtues ANG OL ches ErinGes 7. ie soe welch aiaal ot vate ds sidiatals ts 35 
CHAPTER V 
THEY PAMOUS VDOFO-DUGOT ac siee Ect Soler ew dine acldeie ss bus 44 
CHAPTER VI 
CN GOW EB lOTas as eect re ere ae eee bak Pe UN a et Ge 51 
CHAPTER VII 
THOMbOk Se oumMDA Was MUMDA a er etie aia thas 2a cate os eens 62 
CHAPTER VIII 
With; Our’ Missionaries! ony lores veics 6g vies cen ey Wehk's o « 68 
CHAPTER IX 
Ours) OSUIL BETCOCCESSOFSH ar eerie ee eho ace eee LN Re dese 714 
CHAPTER X 
At Home :With) the Nativesi-on Flores)... 2.0.6. dea Fe 83 
. CHAPTER XI 

PPG ONe Of MLOPES ANG a LAMOT: 5, winw ntatk so OY ete x ale boars selene 4 93 
CHAPTER XII 

Courtship and Marriage on Flores .................... 104 
CHAPTER XIII 

Siekness, Death, Burial, and the Sorcerers .............. 112 
CHAPTER XIV 

EPO IN COTA ETO LIOLA Denis ic wiaices Sie: Deke tint a clean Cabs clu stane ede 124 


CHAPTER XV 
OCUreMissionwahe OLE KAA aes, cable leet eA Ge he eee G 132 


CHAPTER XVI 


Kotting, Nita; Maumere,tNele teitisctciaitels stots esuers ster 140 
CHAPTER XVII 
TRAYS ation eis eA ers ie ca tet rs aya ec heer 148 
CHAPTER XVIII 
Ate barantuks } \s6e Vee ce eae nei ne ene eae 155 
i CHAPTER XIx 
“Tn Perils of, Watere7 cau ee eee eee ee ee 163 
CHAPTER XX 
A ‘Harrowing (Experience; @ im pee et eet ee ae 176 
CHAPTER XXI 
Pagan \Unrest® 27) 20s: aro a ule ae sree wer seus. «hele oe 187 
CHAPTER XXII ; 
Mohammedanism: on +Fl0reso.y/5 on oe ee ee eee 193 
: CHAPTER XXIII :' ht. 
The. Conflict. of) Gross ‘and? Crescent. 7 ee eae: 209 
CHAPTER XXFV 
An. Inestimable, Services). wee Baa ee eee 220 
CHAPTER XXV 
“Whose Names Are in thé‘ Book off lite?’ J00.....'.4 ©. 1 nee 233 
: CHAPTER XXVI_ 
A eae School ‘Systemic ne. oie at ase oe es ete ee 240 
. CHAPTER XXVIII 
The Trials and Triumphs of a Missionary Priest ........ 255 
| CHAPTER XXVIII ! 
Away to the Island’ of “Timorseeay. vor vn ee ee 265 


CHAPTER XXIX 
The End of Our Mission Trail in Timor, and — Adieu .... 276 


Foreword 


(From a letter of Bishop Verstraelen to the author) 


After reading with great interest the manuscript of 
the second volume of your travelog series, I am filled with 
confidence that the book will accomplish what is intended 
of it — that ts to say, that it will work much good in 
making our Little Sunda Islands mission far better known 
than it now is among the American Catholic people. 

During the two months that you spent with us, in 
1922, you were not only a keen observer of things as they 
are actually to be found in our mission, but you were 
ever ready and more than willing to receive information 
and to be guided tn forming your own impressions 
through recourse to our own missionaries —— priests 
Whose long and extensive experience in the Little Sunda 
Islands has eminently fitted them to see into the very 
heart and soul of the people, as tt were, and to set forth ac- 
tual conditions as they are to be found, day after day. 
Thus your book carries with tt a note of veracity and of 
realism not always to be found in such works. To be sure, 
it stands to reason that tn treating of certain matters of 
more or less local import, you now and then make state- 
ments which might be contested in certain quarters; but 
with questions of this sort it 1s utterly impossible to suit 
all. Many, many travelers, and even our own misstonaties, 
are often found to differ tn their estimation of certain lo- 


ALONG TH: MISSION TRAIL — II 1 


2 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


cal characteristics, traditional customs or missionary prob- 
lems. But I am sure that you have, all in all, given a 
truthful and rather vivid picture of our mission life here, 
and that of our native charges. Moreover, there is noth- 
ing written, that I Rnow of, in the English language, that 
comes anywhere near meeting the need, to present to Eng- 
ish-speaking Catholics an interesting and truly authentic 
description of this, after all, rather extensive and decidedly 
important island group in the midst of the Netherlands 
East Indies. And in doing what you have done you 
have rendered a decided and valuable service to our mis- 
sion field and our mission cause, for which I extend to 
you my sincere acknowledgment of indebtedness, assur- 
ing you at the same time that this book 1s also great- 
ly appreciated by the faithful priests and missionaries 
working under my jurisdiction. May the Lord bless you 
and all your efforts in this special field or department of 
your labors. 


Ndona — Endeh, June 17, 1925. 


PM 2 kiya. 


Vicar Ap. of the Little Sunda Islands ; 


Introduction 


The first volume of the Along the Mission Trail se- 
ries carried the travelers across the American continent, to 
Hawaii, Japan, and thence to the Philippine Islands; and 
the chief concern of the book was to introduce the whole 
question of mission affairs in the Philippines while de- 
scribing particularly the mission life, work, and problems 
of our Fathers, S.V.D., in the province of Abra, P. I. 
The narrative of the present volume takes us into a region 
less known to a majority of American readers — I refer 
to that part of our globe known as the East Indian 
Archipelago. 

Leaving Manila, we sailed to Singapore, thence to 
Java, the most famous and most important of the islands 
of the Netherlands East Indies, and finally to the Little 
Sunda Islands, which comprise the apostolic vicariate of 
the same name — a mission territory of fascinating in- 
terest and constantly growing importance. It is with the 
Little Sunda Islands missions that this second book of the 
series has principally to deal. 

The East Indies possess characteristics specifically dis- 
tinct from those heretofore noted and experienced on our 
missionary travels. [he very physical aspects of the Is- 
lands, with their watery wastes, with their prodigious 
and most luxurious growths, with their mighty and fre- 
quently volcanic peaks; and the dense forest jungles, with 
an enervating climate which ever suggests an appeal to the 


4 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


senses and instincts rather than to reason — these, with 
here and there a weird, mysterious setting of living con- 
ditions and prevalent religious beliefs, brought home to 
my mind an entirely new conception of life and one’s 
outlook upon it. And all of this is, in a measure, reflected 
in the statement of the mission conditions and problems 
of the archipelago and its inhabitants. Therefore, it is 
to be hoped that the narrative of this new volume will 
be found to possess a fascination and appeal entirely its 
own, and that the reading of it will arouse a lasting in- 
terest in this particular section of the Lord’s Vineyard 
in the East Indies. BH 


Techny, Ill., July 6, 1925. 


iN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 0 


CHAPTER! 
On to Singapore, the Next Goal 


Memories of the Philippines misstons —- Goanese de- 
scendants of old Christians —- Darkest Borneo — The 
romance of the Borneo missions —— Singapore in sight — 
The friendly passport officer —- A warm reception — 
From the Brothers’ House to the Procure of the Paris 
Foreign Misstons — St. Joseph’s Institute —- The Con- 
vent of the Holy Child Jesus a true house of mercy. 


One definite portion of the missionary tour which it 
had become my privilege to share with the Superior Gen- 
eral of our Society had been covered when we left the 
Philippine Islands. Aboard the S.S. City of Cambridge, 
bound for the Little Sunda Islands, and with Singapore 
miles away, we spent our leisure time discussing the noble 
work done by the self-sacrificing missionaries in the Phil- 
ippines, and the difficulties they are facing with heroic 
fortitude. To us the knowledge, through observation, of 
_ these labors was a convincing proof that the Holy Spirit 
is working as mightily in the Church today as when the 
Apostles spread the news of salvation among the nations 
and gathered the harvest of souls on the altar of martyr- 
dom. Our experiences in traveling with these men over 
mountain and river, living with them, sharing their pov- 
erty and privations, had deeply affected us. Discounting 
their personal needs, we found them ever enlarging on 
present hopes and future projects for their people. We 
saw with our own eyes the urgent need of priests and 
teachers to offset the ravages to the Faith made by twenty- 
five years’ secularization of education. Filled with over- 


6 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


whelming respect and veneration for these noble men, we 
left them with the hope that the souls for whom Christ 
yearned ‘‘with an everlasting love’’ might be brought in- 
to union with His holy Church. 

Our ocean voyage was comparatively uneventful, save 
for the appearance in the distance of three steamers, which 
hardly attracted the attention of our companions on the 
vessel —- the captain with his three officers and crew. 
Even the flying-fish, darting high above the waves, their 
bodies shining like big dragon flies, made no impression 
upon the seamen, so familiar were they with the sight. 
The greater part of the crew were Mohammedans from 
Bombay, with three Irishmen, a few English boys, and 
seven Goanese who were Catholic descendants of those 
natives converted by St. Francis Xavier: thus we were still 
on the mission trail. One of the three faithful Irishmen 
availed himself of the occasion to make his confession, 
saying that he had not had time or opportunity to ap- 
proach the sacraments during the last two years. 

On Sunday, January 29, our good Goanese made all 
necessary arrangements, and we had Mass in the dining- 
room, every Catholic on board attending. That same 
morning we passed Borneo, far to the north of its ex- 
tensive coast-line. Perhaps few who read these lines know 
that Borneo is the third largest island in the world, — 
Greenland being first, and New Guinea second, — while 
the coast-line is as long as that from New York to San 
Francisco. The island has never been extensively ex- 
ploited, particulary inland; but its undiscovered wealth 
is known to be enormous, with great beds of coal, dia- 
mond mines, and oil wells. However, the Royal Dutch Oil 
Company have huge works here, and supply fuel to 
numerous steamers. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 7 


The name of Borneo has ever been a synonym for 
savagery. Do not think that piracy, head-hunting, and 
poisoned darts shot from blow-guns are horrors extinct 
in Borneo today. Ask the mariners who sail these waters; 
ask the keepers of the lonely lighthouses, the officers who 
command the outposts in the bush. The island is cov- 
ered with dense forests and impenetrable jungles, ridged 
by mile-high mountain ranges, seamed by mighty rivers, 
inhabited by savage beasts and savage men. It is the 
terrible humidity which makes the climate dangerous, — 
a humidity due to innumerable swamps, which are also 
the sources of pestilence and fever, and to an incredible 
annual rainfall, which averages over six and a half feet 
of water. No wonder that in the Indies Borneo is known 
as ‘The White Man’s Graveyard.”’ 

The foundation of the Borneo mission reads like 
romance, and I hope to be pardoned for digressing so far 
as to recount its history somewhat at length. 

‘In the early fifties there was a certain Spanish seaman, 
Captain Quarteron, who commanded a sailing vessel in 
the tea trade, plying between Cadiz and Hongkong. On 
one of his outward bound voyages, as he was passing 
along the coast of New Guinea, he espied what seemed to 
be the top of a mast protruding from the water. Lower- 
ing his ship’s boat he proceeded to the spot and, taking 
the necessary soundings, found that the mast belonged to 
a sunken wreck which he thought might contain some 
treasure. 

On his return to Spain, he gave up his commission 
as a captain, and, obtaining funds from friends, went out 
to Manila, where he purchased a small brig; and having 
manned it with divers, he sailed to the sunken wreck on 
the coast of New Guinea. After a few days’ work, he 


8 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


salved a considerable treasure from the deep, returning 
with it to Hongkong. 

As he was sailing past the coast of Borneo, he ran 
into one of the terrible typhoons that are so frequent in 
the China Sea. In a short time his little vessel was over- 
whelmed by the waves, and all gave themselves up for 
lost. In the midst of the danger, Captain Quarteron 
threw himself on his knees on the deck and made a vow 
that, if he and his crew were spared, he would devote 
himself and the treasure he had salved to the conversion 
of the pagan tribes of Borneo. | 

His prayer was heard, the little vessel rode safely 
through the storm and in due time arrived at Hongkong. 
Having placed his treasure, approximating 200,000 Mexi- 
can dollars, in safe keeping, he returned to Europe, en- 
tered the College of Propaganda in Rome, was ordained 
priest, and was sent to Borneo as its first prefect apostolic, 
on August 27, 1855. 

He landed on the island of Labuan, where he made 
his first mission station. Unfortunately, the popula- 
tion of Labuan and the adjacent coast of Brunei was al- 
most exclusively Mohammedan, and the pagan tribes of 
the interior were so unsettled that no missionary work 
could be done among them. However, Father Quarteron 
discovered some two hundred Christian Filipino slaves 
who had been captured by the pirates and sold into slavery 
to the nobles of Brunei, and he gladly ministered to them. 
A considerable portion of the treasure he had salved 
was spent by Father Quarteron in purchasing the free- 
dom of these Christian slaves and sending them back to 
their Catholic friends in the Philippines. 

Other stations were started, both in Brunei and on the 
north of that river, Father Quarteron paying frequent 
visits to Manila, and also to Singapore, while acting as 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 9 


the navigator of his own little schooner. The late Rad- 
jah of Sarawak knew Father Quarteron very well. The 
missionary sometimes visited the Radjah in his own schoo- 
‘ner, and he made his first soundings along the coast of 
Sarawak. The Radjah described the language of Father 
Quarteron as a mixture of Malay, Spanish, and Latin. 

In the year 1879, worn out by sickness and old age, 
the priest returned to Rome and requested the Propaganda 
to give the mission to one of the recently established mis- 
sionary societies. Hence it was that in 1881 the prefecture 
of Labuan and North Borneo was handed over to St. 
Joseph’s Foreign Missionary Society, Mill Hill. 

Passing beyond Borneo, we reached the Anambas Is- 
lands! about noon, and later the famous Netherlands East 
Indies (Insulinde, Island India) lying, a vast archipelago, 
on both sides of the equator. As we approached Singapore 
our ship slackened speed so as to avoid arriving at mid- 
night. 

It was our last night on board. At six o'clock in 
the morning, on Monday, January 30, we saw the island 
and city of Singapore before us. From the south came a 
beautiful white steamer, the Melchior Treub. ‘The 
thought at once struck me that this might be the vessel 
which would carry us to Java, and singularly enough, 
matters turned out a few days later exactly as I had con- 
jectured. 

Singapore has been called the crossroads of the Orient, 
for it lies just halfway between four hundred million 
Chinese and three hundred million Indians. It is the 
meeting-place of the nations. When the English wish to 


1 There are ninety-six little islands in the Anambas group, with 
some four thousand inhabitants: Mohammedans, Malays, or pagan 
Orang Laut. They cultivate the sage palm and the cocoanut; they 
fish, build praus, and export some building timber to Singapore. 


10 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL . 


go to Australia or New Zealand, they stop at Singapore. 
So do the people of Europe, Egypt, or Africa, when 
visiting China, Manchuria, Japan, or the Philippines. 
The city itself contains about four hundred thousand in-° 
habitants, and ships of all nations crowd its offing. 

From the deck of the boat, the shore, as far as the eye 
could reach, appeared to be lined with great cocoanut 
trees, and the harbor was distinctly different from any _ 
we had hitherto seen. Two officers of the City Line 
called on our steamer, after we had passed the physicians’ 
examination. I was allowed to go ashore at once, but 
Father General, being an alien, found that he might have 
to remain until the following day. “This was bad news, 
indeed, and I had made up my mind to stay with him, 
when we were told that the steamer was to go to the: 
wharf at two o'clock, to load coal, that the passport offi- 
cer might be found there, and permission to leave might 
then be secured. Father General was determined that, if 
prayer could effect a landing, we should not be detained. 
And there is no doubt that he was heard, for, on reach- 
ing the port, we found the passport officer to be a good- 
natured and friendly man; and when I explained that we 
had to make quick reservations for the next steamer to 
Batavia, he let us off at once. We escaped even the final 
baggage examination: furthermore, the officer accompanied 
us to the street, in search of an auto to take us and our 
belongings to the School Brothers where we intended 
staying until our departure for Java. 

Everything was in great commotion here. Our new 
friend told us that it was the third day of the Chinese 
New Year. It equaled, if not surpassed, our own old- 
fashioned New-year’s Eve celebrations. Cymbals, drums, 
and horns were going, while the boys darted hither and 
thither, carrying hoops and long sticks, from which floated 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 11 


streamers of red paper bearing all sorts of good wishes. 
Chinese in gay costumes rode past in rickshaws, autos, and 
other vehicles, while the shouts and yells were deafening. 
Perhaps this great population on wheels accounted for the 
fact that there was no car in sight, nor sign of any other 
conveyance. Our friendly officer added to his kindness 
by calling his chauffeur and placing his own car at our 
disposal. I directed the driver to the steamer, where we 
had left our baggage, and returned to say good-bye to all 
on board, —- to the good British officers and our Irish and 
Goanese sailors who had been so attentive to us. 

On our arrival at the Brothers’ House, the Brother 
Director and some of the others had just returned from 
a Chinese excursion. All were delighted to see us, but 
we discovered, to our mutual regret, that only one room 
was available. Besides, the Brothers were so few in num. 
ber for the work on hand, and so busy with the school, 
that we decided to refrain from imposing on their good- 
natured hospitality. The Brother Director finally, but 
with regret, consented to our leaving, and accompanying 
us to the Procure of the Paris Foreign Missions, where the 
procurator, Father Quillon (formerly of Hongkong) 
made us most welcome. Having arranged for our lodg- 
ing, we returned by auto to the House, where Brother 
Cornelius, assistant director, awaited to take us on a sight- 
seeing tour through the city. We paid our first visit to 
the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, where the bishop 
of Malacca has his residence. Then we went to the two 
Chinese churches, and also to the cathedral, the church 
of the Tamils (Indians), and to the Portuguese church, 
the last named being under the jurisdiction of the bishop of 
Macao. In each of these churches was a memorial bier, 
for the late Holy Father Benedict XV, erected before the 


12 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


communion rail. That in the church of the Portuguese 
was exceptionally ornate. 

The Chinese in Singapore comprise a most important 
element in the population. There are 300,000 of them, 
principally from the Provinces of Fokien and Canton. 
The other hundred thousand inhabitants form a motley 
crowd of tribes and nations, as may be judged from the 
fact that fifty-four races are represented, forty-eight lan- 
guages being spoken. Prominent among the rest are Klings, 
or Tamils, to the number of thirty thousand, with many 
from other sections of India. 

Naturally, we were expressly interested in the work of 
the Brothers. One of the two great institutions of the 
island is St. Joseph’s Institute, which is in charge of the 
Brothers. There are eleven Brothers for this work, and 
they are supplemented by forty lay teachers. Brothers and 
teachers are paid by the government, about twenty-five 
dollars a month being the average salary. The building 
was erected in 1852. ‘There are sixteen hundred pupils 
in the school, and in it we found registered Europeans, 
Eurasians, Chinese, Tamils, and others. What a Chris- 
tian-like view the people here have of the race question, 
we thought, and how different and much more commend- 
able than the attitude we take toward the Negroes in our 
own land! 

The Convent of the Holy Child Jesus is another 
magnificent work. Founded some seventy-five years ago, 
this institution is in charge of the Ladies of St. Maur. It 
also receives aid from the government. It stands beside 
the cathedral, but has its own beautiful church in the very 
center of the building proper. When we were taken 
about this house of mercy, we could not help being im- 
pressed and even awed, at what was accomplished here, in 
spite of the fact that we had seen Catholic mission charity 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 13 


exercised to a high degree everywhere, thus far on our 
journey. We had been so recently in Tokyo and Yoko- 
hama, that the zeal of the nuns of this same Order was 
still fresh in our memories, and we felt that this was but 
a continuation of it. The work of the Holy Child Jesus 
Convent is divided into three distinct departments. “There 
is the Girls’ School, with eight hundred pupils, managed 
in about the same way as we found the Brothers’ School 
for boys; then there is an Orphanage, with two hundred 
inmates; and at last we were shown the Créche, or ‘Crib,’ 
where, each year, four hundred babies are received. Many 
of these babies are laid at the entrance of the Créche when 
they are only a few days or a few hours old. Others are 
brought in, with (in most cases) fictitious names and ad- 
dresses of the parents given. ‘The babies are baptized at 
once. Unfortunate little beings! Most of them are found 
to be in a terrible condition; and the sight in some of the 
rooms, where imbecile and blind babies are kept, is fear- 
ful. We pitied these tiny, suffering, hapless waifs, and 
admired with an admiration as strong as our pity the 
self-sacrifice of the nuns who give themselves to God so 
completely in such service to His unfortunates. Several 
rooms were filled with infants in a more or less dying 
condition. Oh, if only the wealthy people of the world, 
spending thousands of dollars for the gratification of mere 
whims, could see these sights! If they could stand for 
just one hour beside the nuns who handle these broken 
little bodies, how different would be their thoughts, their 
ideas! How useless would seem the frivolities which now 
attract them! Humanity —- pampered on one side — 
humanity trampled on the other. 


14 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER II 
Singapore, the Greenhouse of the East 


An ideal missionary settlement —_A mixed population — 
The island and Sir Henry Stamford Raffles — By rick- 
shaw to the rubber plantation — A tremendous industry 
—Where most of our tin comes from — The wonderful 
fruit of the East Indies — We visit Bishop Barillon — 
Aboard the Melchior Treub bound for Java — The ts- 
lands of Banka and Billiton — The tropical storm — At 
Tandjong Priok, the harbor of Batavia, Java. 


In spite of the fact that the Brothers ‘“worked by the 
clock,’’ every hour having its appointed task, they were 
determined that we should ‘“‘see Singapore.’’ ‘Their auto 
was at our disposal at all times; and when school duties 
were ended, they conveyed us to the various places. which 
they knew would prove attractive. We arrived on Sunday; 
and as the steamer for Java would not leave until Friday, 
we had ample opportunity to gather useful information. 
Our first trip was to Saronggong (along the Serongoon 
road), to the Chinese mission settlement. We found the 
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a 
school for boys and girls, a rectory, and other necessary 
buildings, set in the midst of a beautiful cocoanut grove. 
A priest of the Paris Foreign Mission Society has over 
thirteen hundred Catholic Chinese in this parish. 

It is not astonishing that travelers marvel at the en- 
terprise and industry of the people of China. Never have 
these practical virtues been more potently displayed than 
in Singapore. One’s first impression might well be that 
the Chinese were the only inhabitants; but we soon found 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 15 


that the Malay jostled his brother of the Celestial Repub- 
lic, that the Tamil of India and the Javanese walked side 
by side, that Arab and Dyak transacted their affairs in 
peace and in close proximity. Nevertheless, the fact re- 
mains that this city is a Chinese El Dorado. The Chinese 
crowded out the Malays. Some of them are wealthy, with 
splendid homes, and they control many of the important 
interests of the island. While there are shrewd East In- 
dians in business, —- Parsees in the banking houses, and 
Arabs engaged in trading and commerce, —- the Chinese, 
who came first as common laborers, are now the superior 
race in riches and luxury. They have but one idea, — to 
get rich, —— and have no difficulty in attaining their am- 
bition.. The Brother Director drove us down to the 
wharf, one day, and we saw for ourselves how and why 
these people have supplanted the original inhabitants. 
Five hundred of them were coaling a ship, — it reminded 
me of the scene at Nagasaki, —- and in less than twelve 
hours twenty-five hundred tons of coal were carried up 
an incline of thirty feet and dumped. ‘The fuel was shov- 
eled into large baskets, each basket when filled weighing 
one hundred and sixty pounds. A bamboo pole about 
five feet long was slipped under the handle, and each end 
was placed on the bare shoulder of a Chinese coolie. An- 
other Chinaman had the contract, and paid about one and 
a half cents a basket. It was killing labor —- an American 
could not have stood it longer than an hour or two. 
From Saronggong we went to Bukit Timah, — five 
hundred feet above sea level, —- from which a splendid 
panorama may be enjoyed. St. Joseph’s Church here, es- 
tablished in 1846, has about five hundred Catholic Chi- 
nese among its parishioners, with Father Belliot of the Par- 
is Foreign Missions in charge. Unfortunately, we did not 
meet him, but we admired his beautiful church and rectory, 


16 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


reaching them by a good road which leads up to the hilly, 
retired spot where both are situated. 

Singapore is hot; it is never anything else. Being only 
about seventy-seven miles from the equator, all seasons 
are alike. Neither Christmas nor midsummer brings much © 
change to the thermometer. In one respect the island is 
unique — it is the halfway house, the transfer point, 
with the eighth largest port in the world. It is over- 
whelming to try to realize that when the Sultan of Johore 
ceded it to Sir Henry Stamford Raffles, in 1819, a few 
fisher-folk were its only inhabitants. It was Raffles, an 
ardent patriot, who thus secured for Great Britain a share 
in the rich trade of the Far East, to say nothing of the 
value of Singapore as a naval base, and a coaling and re- 
fitting station for the British Navy in this gate of the 
Chinese Sea. It is the market and metropolis of the Malay 
Peninsula. But its story is sad enough, for Sir Stamford 
Raffles shared the fate of many men of vision. He was 
administrator of Java for a brief space; and, being com- 
missioned to establish a settlement at some other point, he 
chose Singapore, then a practically uninhabited island. 
In five years Singapore’s population of two hundred in- 
habitants jumped to ten thousand, and its shipping ton- 
nage to seventy-five thousand a year. After many vicis- 
situdes and misunderstandings of his efforts, on the part 
of his own countrymen, Raffles, at the age of forty-five, 
gave up the struggle to gain great things in the East for 
England; and until recently his very grave was unknown. 
‘The Malays have a saying that ‘‘the elephant dies and 
leaves his bones; the tiger dies and leaves his stripes; a 
man dies and leaves his name to those who come after 
him.” Raffles has left his name to British Malaya. There 
is a statue of him in Raffles Square, a Raffles Library, a 


Raffles Park, and a Raffles Hotel. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES a 


There were all kinds of methods of transportation: 
ox teams hitched to a cart with very large wheels made a 
fairly good car system, while the omnibus was common. 
And then there was the rickshaw. For twenty American 
cents one could own a rickshaw for an hour; and in these 
Father General and I took several jaunts when the Broth- 
ers were occupied, visiting the palatial Government House, 
the library, the museum, the botanical gardens, and the 
fine residential section. We saw some of the most beau- 
tiful palms, silhouetted against the sky, and the dense, 
heavy foliage of the banana tree won our admiration. All 
around the city were pineapple fields and rubber planta- 
tions in cultivation, where, some twenty-five years ago, 
tigers and other animals had roamed. ‘Tradition says 


that Singhapura —— meaning city of the lion —- was thus 
named for the king of beasts, but the tiger has been its 
real pest. 


In 1877, Brother Cornelius told us, twenty-two rub- 
ber plants were set out in the Malay Peninsula. In 1881 
these bore seed. From this humble beginning sprang the 
great rubber industry of the present day, with its scores of 
plantations. Eighty-eight to one hundred trees are grown 
to an acre, and the usual yield, varying with the degree 
of moisture, averages two and three-quarter pounds a tree. 
When the trees come into bearing, in their fifth or sixth 
year, the tapper, armed with a knife especially adapted to 
the work, shaves off small areas of bark at a time. From 
these incisions the sap, or latex, flows out into small cups. 
It takes about three years to encircle a tree completely, and 
the bark renews itself. One coolie generally taps and 
gathers the latex from three hundred trees, and the trees 
are tapped every day. In a single year more than a hun- 
dred thousand tons of rubber were shipped from Singapore 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 2 


18 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


and Penang. We drove for miles through these planta- 
tions, where we saw Chinese contractors and planters 
living in elegant homes, while the poor coolies, whose 
chance to get rich may come to-morrow, exist in hovels 
with dirt floors and no furniture. 

Rubber is not the only industry. In the islands be- 
tween here and Java are the richest tin mines in the world, 
the single year’s output being valued at $80,000,000, of 
which the United States alone uses an amount worth 
$40,000,000. The great smelters are located in Singa- 
pore, and their tall chimneys belch forth smoke in such 
volume that I was reminded of a great manufacturing 
center in our OWn country. 

We stopped at the Brothers’ rest house at Katong, to 
which they ride out sometimes after a day’s hard work. 
It is beautifully situated, near the ocean; and to add to 
the picturesque surroundings the quaint houses of the Jav- 
anese fisher-folk are close by. Tropical vegetation 
abounds — eucalypti trees, sandalwood, acacia, the ever- 
present bamboo, ferns, and caladiums. It was here that 
we tasted the wonderful fruit of the island, the famous 
mangosteen, which some writer calls perfumed snow. It 
has an exterior like a rich red apple, while the interior re- 
sembles a mixture of ice cream and strawberries. Then 
there is the equally famous durian, an enormous round 
ball, covered with spines. When cut, the pulp is like a 
creamy custard, which is highly prized by the natives, 
though it has an odor of rotten eggs, stale cheese, onions, 
or any other unpleasant thing you can think of. If the 
foreigner can overcome his dislike to the smell, he soon 
grows fond of the fruit; but neither Father General nor 
I arrived at that happy condition. 

We were duly registered at the police department on 
January 31, and then I bought tickets for passage on the 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 19 


Melchior Treub, of the K. P. M.,? the Dutch Steamship 
Company which has practically a monopoly of passenger 
traffic and shipping in the Netherlands East Indian archi- 
pelago. I had already purchased the helmets which, we 
were told, are absolutely necessary for travel in the tropics. 

On February 2, the day before our departure, we called 
on the bishop of Malacca, the Right Reverend Emile 
Barillon, who has been bishop there since 1904. His co- 
adjutor, Bishop Porrichon (appointed in 1920), also 
greeted us, and we spent an interesting hour discussing 
Catholic conditions in this greenhouse of the Orient. There 
are only forty thousand Catholics in the Straits Settle- 
ment —- ten thousand of these being in Singapore, the 
capital. The Malays are all Mohammedans. ‘The greater 
part of the Tamils are pagans, but a number of them are 
Catholic and they have a comfortable church. The Portu- 
guese; who speak the Macao dialect, are fine Catholics, 
and the Chinese Catholics have two churches and are 
fervent followers of our holy faith. 

The next day was Friday, the day of our departure, 
and First Friday as well. I offered holy Mass in the 
Brothers’ beautiful chapel, and never before had I distrib- 
uted Holy Communion to the representatives of so many 
races. At three o'clock that afternoon we said farewell 
to our kind hosts, and their auto carried us to the Tand- 
jong Pagar wharf, where the Melchior Treub awaited us. 
At five o’clock we set out on our thirty-six-hour sail to 
the port of Tandjong Priok at Batavia, Java. On board 
this comfortable and beautiful vessel, we were really on 
Dutch ground again; and as our Motherhouse is in Steyl, 
Holland, we felt quite at home. Everything was scrupu- 


1 Koninklijke Pakketvaart Maatschappij: Royal Packet Naviga- 
tion Company, one of the best-known and most important shipping 
companies in Eastern waters. 


20 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


lously clean and neat, and we were greeted with friendly 
smiles. | 
After our Masses were said on February 4 (during the 
night we had crossed, without any accident! the equator) 
we spent the day watching the scenery. From ten o'clock 
in the morning until five in the afternoon we were passing 
the island of Sumatra. Then the Dutch island of Banka 
was sighted, and later the steamer passed through the 
straits between the Sumatra coast and the islands of Banka 
and Billiton. These two islands are important because 
of their tin mines. They were, in earlier years, leased to 
the Chinese by their owner, the Sultan of Palembang, Su- 
matra, but they have been in the possession of the Dutch 
since 1740. ‘The actual miners are some twenty thousand 
coolies. In 1923 these two islands were formed into a 
prefecture apostolic and given over to the care of the 
Fathers of the Sacred Heart, of Picpus. The entire popu- 
lation of Banka is 150,000, and that of Billiton, 20,000. 
That night we had our first experience of a heavy 
tropical storm. There was thunder and lightning, ac- 
companied by such rain that the term ‘‘the heavens 
opened’’ might be applied without fear of exaggeration. 
It was pitch-dark, save when the lightning flash, piercing 
the sky with its long, jagged, lance-like shafts, gave us a 
glimpse of waves like towering walls that threatened to 
engulf us, as they appeared through a thick, gray curtain 
of rain. In addition to the rage of the elements, the 
ship’s horn kept going constantly in order to avoid a 
collision. But Father General, finding it too warm in 
bed, spread his mattress on the floor and proceeded to 
sleep calmly and peacefully the whole night through. In 
the morning he asked me if he had been dreaming — 
‘or, wasn’t there a noise, about something, last night?’’ 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 21 


We had just finished our Masses when we found that 
our course was steering us between the two great stone 
arms which are the piers, over a mile long, forming the 
protecting walls on the artificial harbor of Tandjong 
Priok, the port of Batavia. In a few moments we en- 
tered the narrow inner harbor. After Singapore’s waters, 
crowded with all manner of craft, I was astonished to see 
no boats here, not even a native canoe. But Malays, 
Dutch, and Chinese were on the shore, and when we fin- 
ished with the customs’ officer, we rode by auto on to 
Batavia, feeling that the five hundred miles between us 
and Singapore were not of such great importance after all. 
It took us half an hour to reach the cathedral, where Bish- 
op E. S. Luypens, S.J., and other Jesuit Fathers received 
us with cordial good will. It was Sunday, and at nine 
o'clock we attended High Mass in the cathedral and heard 
a Dutch sermon. Then, for the first time, we learned 
that the Conclave to elect a new pope was being held. 


22 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER MUI 
Java, the Garden of Island India 


The Netherlands East Indies — Posttion, size, and extent 
— Early history of Java and the coming of the Europeans 
— Missionary efforts —- Mohammedanism — The new 
mission —— Difficulty of travel —- Along the canals — In 
“old’’ Batavia —- The sacred cannon — The relic of a 
traitor —- Weltevreden — The work of the Dutch Ur- 
sulines — At Kremat — In the old Portuguese church — 


Up to Buttenzorg —- How the islands are governed — 
The magnificent botanical gardens — The “Written 
Stone.” 


The whole of the Netherlands East Indies, by which 
name the colonies of Holland in Asia are generally known, 
have an area of approximately 587,000 square miles 
(over twice the area of Texas and forty times that of the 
mother country, the Netherlands), while the total popu- 
lation amounts to 50,000,000, about half that of the 
United States. The territory comprises the Greater Sunda 
Islands, the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Moluccas or ‘‘Spice 
Islands,’’ and the Dutch section of New Guinea, thousands 
of islands, atolls, and islets being scattered over forty-six 
degrees of latitude on both sides of the equator and 
stretching across the tropical waters of the Indian Sea, 
the southern part of the China Sea, the Sea of Celebes, 
and the Pacific Ocean. i 

The Greater Sunda Islands consisting of Sumatra, 
which, with the small islands surrounding it, has an area 
about as large as the State of California (mission work 
here is at present in charge of the Capuchins of Holland) ; 





Scene Along the Seashore in Singapore 





Scene in a Javanese Market. The method of carrying young children 
is plainly shown, 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 23 


Dutch Borneo, as large as France (also cared for spirit- 
ually by the Dutch Capuchins) ; Celebes, greater in extent 
than the State of Washington (in care of the Fathers of 
the Sacred Heart); and Java, which has been called the 
jewel of the Malay Archipelago, and easily deserves the 
title. Although in point of size it holds only fifth place, 
— Sumatra, Borneo, New Guinea, and Celebes are much 
larger, —- Java contains three quarters of the population 
— 38,000,000, or seven hundred people to the square 
mile, and yields four fifths of all the products. In size 
no larger than Cuba, it has more inhabitants than all the 
Atlantic Coast States from Main to Florida combined. 
Among the millions of natives there are 135,000 Euro- 
peans, 28,000 Arabs, 400,000 Chinese; and 3,000 Jap- 
anese. ‘The early history of this island is wrapped in 
mystery, and the numerous legends concerning this period 
are absolutely unreliable as forming any basis for an 
accurate description of the original inhabitants. But it 
is said that during the ninth century the Hindus gained 
ascendancy over the people and maintained it until past 
the beginning of the sixteenth century. These early 
centuries were divided into three more or less distinct pe- 
_riods: that when Buddhism prevailed, the time when Siva- 
ism had the upper hand, and the years in which a com- 
promise of the two religious systems was maintained. 
Of all the Hindu states or nations during these periods that 
of Majapahit was the most notable. But in 1520 the 
Portuguese arrived and commenced subjugating the entire 
inhabitants. The remnants of the old state of Majapahit 
was first won over, and thenceforward the conquests con- 
tinued. Of course, the Portuguese were Catholics, and 
with them came missionaries for the spiritual conquest of 
the new territory. Meantime, however, Mohammedanism 
had gradually encroached upon the people, sweeping utter- 


24 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


ly aside the ancient Hindu faiths and in some sections even 
destroying partially the solid faith of many of the first 
Portuguese colonizers. In 1546 St. Francis Xavier, In- 
dia’s great Apostle, arrived and worked marvels in making 
converts, both among the natives and the fallen-away 
Portuguese. But before the close of the sixteenth century, 
the Dutch arrived. Soon they worsted the Portuguese, 
and Dutch ascendancy held sway, for the most part, for 
the next three centuries. The Dutch were Protestant 
Calvinists, thoroughly antagonistic to all Catholic teach- 
ings. [he Portuguese missionaries were gradually forced 
out of all their districts. Many of the harshest of perse- 
cutions were perpetrated by the Dutch, who at times even 
advanced the cause of Mohammedanism in order to gain 
help in ousting the Portuguese Catholics. By the year 
1743 Dutch authority generally prevailed throughout the 
entire northeastern coast of Java. Not until the begin- 
ning of the nineteenth century were conditions better for 
the spread of Catholic missionary activities. What is 
known as the New Mission of the Netherlands East Indies 
began in 1807, when, after the French Revolution, the 
propaganda also weakened in the colonies, so that James 
Nelissen and Lambert Prinsen, two intrepid priests, were 
able to proceed to Java, armed with full authority from 
the Holy See and with permission from the Netherlands 
government; they arrived in Java on April 4, 1808. In 
1842 the entire region of the Netherlands East Indies was 
made a vicariate apostolic, with Msgr. James Grooff as 
the first missionary bishop, with residence at Batavia. 
Msgr. Grooff was banished by the government, in 1846, 
because of. his firm stand against unlawful civil inter- 
ference in ecclesiastical affairs. He was superseded by 
Monsignors Vranken and Claessens. It was at last dis- 
covered that it would be advisable to have the ecclesias- 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 25 


tical administration in the hands of a well-recognized 
order of religious, in order to insure the stability of the 
work, and Msgr. W. J. Staal, S.J. was appointed to suc- 
ceed Msgr. Claessens. At the death of Bishop Staal, Msgr. 
E. S. Luypens, S.J., was entrusted with the administra- 
tion and held it for twenty-five years. Previous to his 
consecration as vicar apostolic, Msgr. Luypens had been a 
pastor in Maumere, in Middle Flores, a district which is 
now an important part of our Lesser Sunda Islands mis- 
sion. While vicar apostolic, he ruled over the entire Neth- 
erlands East Indies, including Dutch New Guinea; and on 
his first visit to Rome he was able to report to Pope 
Benedict XV that he had episcopal jurisdiction over an 
eighth of the entire globe. Before his death, however, 
he was in charge of Java only, with its 40,000 Catholics, 
for the Netherlands East Indies have been separated into 
two vicariates and three prefectures apostolic. Java and 
the Island of Madura, in size equal to the State of New 
York, were administered first by the Jesuits. After Bishop 
Luypens had asked for assistance in this vast field, the 
territory was divided, and the Dutch Carmelites and Laz- 
arists were assigned to it by the Holy Father. The Car- 
melites have the three most eastern districts of Java: Pas- 
uruan, Bezuki, and the Island of Madura. The Lazarists 
are in charge of Surabaya, Kediri, and Rembang. They 
walk in the footsteps of Blessed John Gabriel Perboyre, 
martyr; for, while en route to China in 1835, he remained 
a month at Surabaya, and there prepared for his future 
apostolate. From Surabaya is dated one of his most beau- 
tiful letters, preserved in the motherhouse at Paris as a 
precious relic. 

In the foregoing pages there has been set forth in 
broad outline the general history of Java up to modern 
times. However, a somewhat more popular account of 


26 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the colonizing of the East India archipelago, from the 
beginning of the sixteenth century, will perhaps be of 
value just here, because it will serve to prepare us for 
frequent later glimpses of the great work of the Catholic 
missions which will terminate, for us, in a description of 
the missionary conditions and problems of our present 
day. 

In the year 1510 of the Christian era, the Portuguese 
first arrived in the East Indian Archipelago. In the fol- 
lowing year their chief, Alphonso d’ Albuquerque, subju- 
gating the city of Malakka, invited the trade of the sur- 
rounding islands, promised them protection, and opened 
an intercourse with Java. Nakoda Ismael, a Moor, who 
had trading relations with Malakka, while returning from 
the Molukka Islands with a cargo of nutmegs, was wrecked 
on the coast of Java; but he succeeded in saving his cargo 
of spices. The governor of Malakka, in the year 1513, 
sent a commander with four vessels to obtain it. ‘This 
little fleet was well received by the Javanese; and the 
Portuguese, continuing to trade with the Spice Islands, 
generally touched at the ports of Java, which led to a 
treaty of friendship between the governor of Malakka and 
the king of Sunda (a western division of Java), on 
account of the pepper produced in that kingdom. The 
advantages of trading in the East soon attracted the at- 
tention of other European powers, and the Dutch and 
English followed the Portuguese. According to an ac- 
count given by Sir Stamford Raffles, governor-general of 
Java under the English administration, the first voyage 
made by the Dutch was in 1595, in which year their first 
fleet under the command of Houtman (who had been 
previously employed by the Portuguese in the East Indian 
service), sailed direct to Bantam. At this period the Por- 
tuguese were at war with the king of Bantam, to whom 





ful Cathedral of the Vicariate of Batavia (in charge of 


i 


~The Beaut 


the Jesuit Fathers) 





Youngsters of the Jesuit School in Muntilan, Java 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 27 


Cornelius Houtman offered assistance, in return for which 
he received permission to build a trade station at Bantam, 
the first settlement by the Dutch in the East Indies. 

Following the example of the Dutch, the English East 
India Company, immediately after their incorporation by 
Queen Elizabeth in 1601, fitted out a fleet of four ships, 
which sailed from London in 1602, to Acheen (Ache), on 
Sumatra. In 1610 the first Dutch governor-general, Peter 
Bot, arrived at Bantam, and, finding the situation of his 
countrymen in that province unfavorable to the establish- 
ment of a permanent settlement, removed to Jakatra. On 
March 4, 1621, the name of Batavia was conferred upon 
the new establishment of the Dutch in Jakatra, which 
from that period became the capital of their East Indian 
Empire. In 1683 the English, who had maintained a 
~ successful rivalry with the Dutch, withdrew their estab- 
lisment from Bantam. Down through the succeeding 
centuries waged the struggle for trade and empire, until 
in the year 1811, Holland, having become a province of 
France, Batavia knew the French flag. In September of 
the same year the British government was declared su- 
_ preme in Java and all its dependencies. But in 1814 the 
whole of their possessions in the Eastern islands were 
restored to the Dutch; and on August 19, 1816, the flag 
of the Netherlands was again hoisted at Batavia. 


I offered holy Mass in the cathedral, on Monday, 
February 6, at St. Joseph’s altar — it was the twelfth 
anniversary of my ordination. Later in the morning I 
went down to the K. P. M. offices and was told that there 
would be no boat until the 15th; on that day the steamer 
De Klerk would leave Surabaya for Flores. From the 
6th to the 15th seemed a long wait, but there was no way 
of overcoming it, so we resolved to put it to good use. 
Java interested us greatly, as it must interest all who 


28 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


visit its shores. The three cities of greater importance are 
Batavia (which has 150,000 inhabitants) , Semarang, and 
Surabaya. But Java’s climate is difficult to put up with: 
it is very hot and very damp, and the distance to any 
place of note so great that walking is, actually, a burden- 
some task. Fortunately, however, public conveyances are 
plentiful and inexpensive. The buggy, a cheap, two- 
wheeled cart, may be had for a whole hour for twenty- 
five cents, if one wishes to use it. Two or three days of 
sightseeing reduces one to a limp condition, and the Fa- 
thers were careful to impress several “‘don’ts’’ upon us in 
regard to over-exertion, use of water and fruit, etc. I went 
out several times to the book-stores, and then along the 
canal. The native children were most attractive, with 
their dark skins, bright eyes, and flashing teeth, and they 
were very numerous, particularly near the water, where 
they swam and dove like little fish, their laughter ringing 
as merrily as the laughter of children the world over. The 
women of the country gathered at the foot of the steps 
that led down from the bank to the edge of the stream, 
and there did the family washing. ‘The canals, though 
adding much to the charm of the “‘old city,’’ do not con- 
duce to its health. Even these little tours exhausted me, 
on account of the enervating heat. When I returned to 
the Fathers’ house I was so tired that I found it hard to 
write articles or letters. But there are certainly many 
curious and interesting things in old Batavia. We were 
told, when we visited the Penang Arch or Great Gate 
(built in 1671 as a gate to the citadel), to be sure to see 
‘the sacred cannon.’’ We found it half-buried in the 
mud at one side of the road. It is about fifteen feet long, 
and they call it St Jagoer or Meriam Besar, or, in Malay, 
Ktat Satomie. , Its history is unknown and it bears no 
date, but the butt end is fastened in the semblance of a 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 29 


closed fist, and an inscription in Latin reads: ‘‘Ex me ipsa 
renata sum’’ (I have been reborn from myself) —— doubt- 
less a reference to recasting. About this old relic have 
grown up a number of quaint superstitions. [he native 
women believe that Si Jagoer has the power of giving 
children to the childless, and on earthen mounds close by 
they burn incense sticks and make their pitiful offerings 
in the hope of propitiating this strange god. Another 
native superstition declares that some day the gun will 
join its mate (probably its facsimile now in Surabaya) 
and on that day will come the end of the world. 

A more gruesome object of interest here is the wall 
with its whitewashed skull transfixed by a lance — a 
stone monument to the despised memory of the traitor 
Peter Elberfeld, who planned to overthrow Dutch rule in 
Java. Elberfeld was the son of a German resident in 
Batavia and of a native woman. He became a Mussulman, 
and succeeded in gathering about him over 1,000 parti- 
sans, intending to expel all Europeans from the island 
and take the reins himself. Above this ghastly relic is 
the following inscription: ‘“To perpetuate the accursed 
-~memory of the condemned traitor, Peter Elberfeld. No 
one shall raise house, structure, building, or plant on this 
spot, now or forevermore. Batavia, April 14, 1722.” 

Weltevreden —- meaning “‘well content’? — is the 
modern half of Batavia and dates from the opening of the 
nineteenth century only, owing its existence to the ter- 
rible ravages of death in the “‘‘old’’ town. The new- 
comers tried to live here as they had lived in Holland, and 
over a million deaths were recorded during the years 1731 
to 1752. The old city, or old town, of Batavia, known 
in its prime as ‘‘Queen of the East,’’ was another ‘‘white 
man’s grave,’ being the scene of early Dutch attempts 
to reproduce, in an environment of swamp and jungle, 


30 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the features of a Dutch home town of the same period, 
with its canals and narrow streets. The military com- 
mander, Marshal Daendals, was the first to take action 
against this most ruthless of all foes, and under his orders 
the soldiers were sent from their quarters in the old town 
to a new camp at some distance, and on higher ground. 
The camp was the beginning of Weltevreden. Within a 
few years the officials followed the troops, civilians fol- 
lowed the officials, and in the end the old unsanitary town 
was left to the natives and Chinese, and to the officers 
whose business called for their location near the harbor 
and go-downs. 

When, twelve years before, on another February 7, 
Father General, at that time Master of Novices, assisted 
me in my first Mass at St. Gabriel’s, neither of us dreamed 
that we should see together, at some future hour, this re- 
mote section of the world. Java and the Netherlands East 
Indies had no place in our minds. Yet the ‘Little Clois- 
ter’ of the Dutch Ursuline Sisters which we visited on 
this anniversary was doing its splendid work then, and for 
many preceding years. “The convent and boarding-house 
is a wonderful institution. The “‘Great Cloister’’ is also 
in charge of the Dutch Ursulines, though they are of a 
different branch, the last-named being affiliated with the 
Unio Romana. The Brothers of St. Aloysius from Hol- 
land, about fifty in number, also have a fine school here. 

On February 8, while visiting the Ziekenhuis or hos- 
pital under the care of the Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo 
of Holland, we received news of the election of Pius XI. 
‘That same day we went to see St. Vincent’s Orphanage 
at Kremat, a section of Batavia with 33,000 inhabit- 
ants, 1700 of whom are Europeans. There is a very 
nice parish church connected with the orphanage. In 
Meester Cornelis, a pretty suburb named after a native 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 31 


Christian teacher of the seventeenth century, is a Sisters’ 
School and a new parish in charge of Father Mathijssen. 
Father Minister brought us by auto to all these different 
sections, and we saw every phase of missionary life re- 
peated — priests and sisters cutting themselves away from 
home and country in order to serve God’s purposes. We 
went to the famous Portuguese church, one of the relics 
of past ages, which became a Protestant house of worship 
when the Dutch took possession, and now serves as a mu- 
seum. Everywhere there are relics and traces of the ancient 
faithful — stories of old Christianity —- Christian cus- 
toms — Christian prayers, that neither time nor neglect 
has succeeded in obliterating. 

No visitor should miss the trip to Buitenzorg, the so- 
called “‘country capital,’’ forty miles distant. The road 
between Batavia and Buitenzorg follows the railroad line 
for the greater part, ascending gradually, until an eleva- 
tion of about a thousand feet is reached. On either side 
are vast fields of rice, groves of cocoanut palms, stretches 
of jungle with villages here and there, and traffic at times 
blackening the highway. The road is a fine one — macad- 
amized on a red clay foundation, carefully graded and 
smooth. The ample rainfall keeps it hard and dustless. 

At this place the governor-general of the Netherlands 
East Indies lives in state. His title gives little idea of the 
extent of his power. He rules his 50,000,000 people in 
a territory three times larger than Germany or France, 
has thousands of officials under him, and commands a 
standing army of 36,000, which is entirely independent 
of the Dutch home forces. His salary is $55,000 a year, 
and he is allowed a large sum for traveling expenses. 

The civil service of the Netherlands East Indies has 
been called, by one writer, the most remarkable in the 
world. The officers are highly educated and of high 


32 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


standing. Every clerk who wants to rise in the colonies 
must, after his graduation, take a three-year course in the 
University of Leyden. He must be able to speak French, 
English, and German, and at least two of the native lan- 
guages of Java —- one of them being the Malay. ‘The 
native officials are also well educated. The system is based 
upon the native government, the native nobles and chiefs. 
ruling the people by their own laws, with the Dutch as. 
‘advisers,’ though they are, of course, the actual authori- 
ty. In order to make it appear that the natives are still 
ruled by their own princes, the regents keep up a con- 
siderable degree of ceremony and pomp; they have their 
courts, their body-guards, their gilded carriages and golden 
parasols, and some of the more important ones maintain 
enormous households. But, though they preside at as- 
semblies, sign decrees, and possess all the other external 
attributes of power, in reality they only go through the 
motions of governing. “Though this system of dual gov- 
édrnment has the obvious disadvantage of being both 
cumbersome and expensive, it is the best that could have 
been devised to meet existing conditions. 

In Buitenzorg —— the word means ‘“‘without care’? — 
it is said to rain every day — at any rate, it does rain on 
an average of two hundred and twenty days a year. The 
botanical gardens are famous the world over for tropical 
plants, and there is no finer collection of these in existence. 
Besides fully grown specimens of every known tree in 
the tropics, there are culture plots for sugar cane, rubber, 
coffee, tea, spices, gums, fruit trees, bamboo, rattan, ma- 
hogany, and teak. There are kanari trees, palms, banyans, 
and waringa, above all the deadly upas, which has its own 
story*; and gardens in which bloom the white tuberose — 





1 It has been commonly reported that neither animal nor vege- 
table life can exist in the vicinity of the upas, all of which is now 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST: INDIES 33 


or frangipani, or sombaya, to give it its native name; the 
bougainvillea, with its flowers of lilac, deep-blue, and red, 
and gorgeous orchids. In the ponds.are the great lotus, 
the Victoria regia, with its leaves six feet.in diameter and 
blossoms sixteen inches across. In one corner is the tomb 
of Lady Raffles, who died in 1814°. ‘The gardens were 
not founded until 1817, were laid out in 1845, and 
brought to their present great perfection during recent 
years by Doctor Melchior Treub. In the near vicinity is 
the relic Batu Tults, or ‘‘written stone’ dating from the 
days of Hindu supremacy. It is a block about seven feet 
high, bearing an inscription in Kaw, the ancient written 


regarded as a romantic fiction. It is well known, however, that there 
is a tree in Java, containing a sap of a milky appearance, which, 
when taken into the stomach or injected into the blood, acts as an 
immediate and deadly poison; but it grows in the forests, and has 
no deleterious effects whatever on the surrounding shrubbery, not ev- 
en on the leaves and vines which in some instances cling to its trunk 
and branches. An ancient tradition exists among the natives in re- 
gard to the supposed poisonous vicinity encircling the upas tree, 
which is recorded as follows: 


“Some two hundred years ago, the country surrounding the upas 
tree was inhabited by a people so wicked that the Prophet Moham- 
- med applied to God to punish them, and God caused the upas tree to 
grow out of the earth, which destroyed them, and rendered the coun- 
try ever after uninhabitable.” 


But one must observe, continues the recorder, that all Malayans 
consider the tree as a holy instrument of the great God to punish the 
sins of mankind, and therefore to die from the poison of the upas is 
generally considered an honorable death. 


2 It is a little Grecian temple of white marble, all but hidden by 
the surrounding shrubbery. On its base that empire-builder, whose 
bronze statue stands in the esplanade in Singapore, carved these 
lines : 

Oh, thou, whom ne’er my constant heart 
One moment hath forgot, 

Tho’ fate severe hath bid us part, 
Yet still — forget me not. 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 3 


34 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


language of Java. The sentences relate to the doings of 
the founders of Padjadjaram, the capital of the old Hindu 
empire of like name, which once included within its 
bounds the whole western end of Java. The people here 
have been taught to believe that they are words from the 
Koran, and venerate them accordingly! 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 35 


CHAPTER IV 
In the Land of the Princes 


Characteristics of the Javanese —- Languages and dialects 

— Javanese homes — The “land of the princes’? — 

Jesuit institutes at Djokja — Misstonary experiences — 

The Immaculate Conception School —- The Franciscan 

Sisters of Holland — ‘‘The Spike of the Universe’? — 
Inside a royal city. 


The Javanese people appear to have descended from 
one general race that was native to the East Indian Archi- 
pelago. The Malays, Chinese, and Arabs occupy the 
coasts; the Javanese proper, being the agricultural type, 
inhabit the interior. [hose I saw were, in general, small 
and slender, erect of figure, and with a sort of golden yel- 
low complexion. Their hair is very long, very straight, 
and very black; they have black or dark-brown eyes which 
appear to see everything; a small short nose, a well- 
formed decided mouth, and broad full forehead. I was 
impressed with the mild expression of their round and 
somewhat flat face. “There is always an air of grave def- 
erence in their manner which is very pleasing. They 
marry early —- an unmarried man of twenty is rare indeed 
— and they are domestic, with strong family ties, boys 
and girls being cherished with equal tenderness. Polyg- 
amy is the custom of the country, and divorce is easy. 
A Javanese characteristic is a profound respect for rank; 
the inferior classes never dispute the will or wisdom of 
their betters. A Javanese of the common order would not 
enter the presence of a noble of his own race without 
assuming a squatting position, and the woman will not 


36 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


eat with her grown-up sons or husbands, nor does she 
sit with them unless requested to do so. 

Another Javanese characteristic is frequent bathing. 
All classes bathe at least once, generally twice, a day, the 
poor going to the rivers, while the rich have luxurious 
bath-rooms in their homes. Many are the customs which 
seem curious to us of western lands — the filing of the 
teeth a little concave in front and dyeing them black by 
chewing sirt, is a practice handed down from time im- 
memorial. The wearing of the kris, too, in many shapes 
and patterns, is an inheritance from past ages, and stuck 
in the belt on the right side of the back, it makes a con- 
spicuous feature of the dress. If the owner is rich the 
handle and scabbard of the weapon sparkle with brilliants. 
It is not always a mere ornament, and to make the weapon 
more effective it is often serpentine and poisoned, so that 
even should the wound not cause death, the poison will. 
In a country where the passions of revenge and jealousy 
run high and wrongs are frequently committed, the kris 
is a converiient means of satisfaction. People of the 
higher class, however, seldom use it. 

As a matter of fact, it is really a difficult task to give 
a just idea of Javanese nature. One must work among 
them many years to understand them, and much of the 
information on these pages has been gathered from the 
talks and discussions of our missionaries. Though not 
advanced in what is termed European learning or knowl- 
edge, the Javanese are intelligent, quiet, uncomplaining, 
and affectionate people. They are fond of music. The 
lower classes are greatly given to superstition, seeing oméns 
in every event. Although proud and full of religious 
prejudice, they are not so narrow as the Mohammedans on 
adjoining islands, while they treat their children and old 





A Javanese Danseuse 





Precincts of the Royal Palace of Narmada, on Lombok Island 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 37 


people with extreme kindness, always yielding to the 
counsels of old age and experience. 

In their mode of life they seldom adopt new habits. 
They rise at daybreak, bathe, make an early meal of rice 
and coffee, and go to the fields, where they work until 
ten o'clock, then return to their dwellings and eat their 
first hearty meal. From ten to four, on account of the in- 
tense heat, they remain in the shade of their huts and 
verandas. At four they eat rice, with coffee or chocolate, 
and go back to the fields until six, when they return for 
the second good meal of the day and then spend the eve- 
ning listening to music or in quiet conversation. 

The Javanese language is more or less intermixed with 
the various dialects in use in several of the surrounding 
islands. The characters are the same, and it is the opin- 
ion of some learned linguists that one generic language 
_ prevails throughout the islands of Java, Bali, and Madura. 
Four dialects are spoken in Java. Malay, the general 
language of the archipelago, is spoken in the cities on the 
coast, where the population is either Malay or mixed 
Malay and Javanese. In the western districts of Java the 
Sundanese is spoken, and in the eastern provinces the 
Javanese language is used exclusively. The Sundanese 
language is alleged to be the most ancient, and is a simple 
cialect, meeting all the wants of the primitive people that 
speak it; many of its words are pure Malay, some are 
Sanscrit, and much of it is from the Javanese. 

The Javanese alphabet is composed of twenty conso- 
nants and twenty auxiliary characters, used in forming the 
compound consonants. In addition to these there are 
seven characters, consisting of contractions of certain con- 
sonants which are used in connection with other conso- 
nants. ‘There are five inherent vowel signs, and five signs 
which supplant these characters. 


38 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


The Javanese write from right to left, making the 
letters entirely separate, with no space between the words. 
A common or a diagonal line at the end of a composition 
indicates a period, and it is the only mark of punctuation 
used. They have no grammar, but the construction of 
their language is regular and extremely simple. It con- 
tains many synonyms, and is wonderfully profuse in 
words, expressing the most profound, delicate, and compli- 
cated shades of meaning. Besides the four languages or 
dialects used in Java, there is a classic language, called the 
Kawi, in which the fables, poems, historical records, and 
various inscriptions on stone are written. At what period, 
or how, the Kawi language was introduced into Java ap- 
pears to be uncertain; but it is supposed to be the channel 
through which the Javanese received their store of San- 
skrit words. A Javanese scholar, in writing, uses many 
words from the Kawi, which may have been the original 
language employed throughout the archipelago at some 
earlier and unknown time. 

The home of the Javanese costs but little. For five 
dollars he can have a respectable bamboo hut, and for ten 
dollars a cottage with two or three rooms and a veranda. 
When he becomes tired of the location, or has found one 
that is more desirable, he calls in two or three of his friends 
and they move the house wherever he wants to place it. 
The walls and inside partitions are made of braided strips 
of flat bamboo, hung or nailed on a wooden frame work, 
which is roofed with attap or palm thatch. The houses 
seldom have windows, sufficient light being admitted 
through the door and between the strips, for the people 
spend most of their waking time on the veranda, their one 
desire being to keep their building dark and cool. Most 
of the lower classes occupy such buildings, and for couches 
they have springy bamboo benches about a foot high, 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 39 


and six or eight feet square, called bali-bali. “They spread 
mats and pillows on these beds and thus have really pleas- 
ant sleeping-couches. The village chiefs and small office- 
holders have more pretentious dwellings, however; these 
buildings may be recognized by their larger size, and by 
their eight-sloped attap roofs. The nobles, as might be 
expected, have even larger homes, built of wood or stone 
and distinguished by two waringin trees, indicating nobili- 
ty, which are kept growing before the entrance. The house 
of the noble stands alone, while the cottages of the plain 
people are in groups, and generally quite concealed in 
masses of foliage surrounded by fences of bamboo, within 
which each cottage is encircled by its own little enclosure 
of banana and cocoanut palm. 

The better classes among the Javanese use many hand- 
some articles of European furniture, but the plainer folk 
have neither tables nor chairs, and eat with their fingers 
from wooden trays. ~The women of the household weave 
the cloth for the dresses of the family, the feminine mem- 
bers wearing the sarong and kabaya, and the men the 
sarong and the baju. The sarong is a piece of cotton or 
silk cloth, some eight feet long and four feet wide, in plain 
dark blue or in beautiful bright figures and colors, with 
ends sewed together and top and bottom left open. It 
is slipped about the body and caught around the waist in 
pleats, which are held in place by a long sash, allowing the 
skirt of the garment to fall to the ankles?. The kabaya 


1 These garments are ornamented with the beautiful batik de- 
signs, for which Java is famous. In fact one of the industries of 
Java is the making of batik. Its value varies immensely, and de- 
pends upon the beauty and fineness of the work of the artisan. A 
batik sarong, for instance, may be bought for a dollar in gold, and 
another may cost as high as seventy or eighty dollars. Djokja is the 
center of the batik industry, and the majority of its women are 
adepts in the production of this artistic fabric. Batik is cotton cloth 
on which designs have been printed in a special way. Melted white 


40 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


is a long, sack-like garment of colored print, silk, or white 
muslin, worn over the upper half of the body and reach- 
ing to the knees. The baju worn by the men is almost 
identical, reaching a little below the waist. [he rank or 
circumstances of the wearer may be judged from the rich- 
ness of the clothing... The men wear a handkerchief of silk 
or cotton twisted in a peculiar way about the head, but 
the women never use any covering over their hair, comb- 
ing it straight back from the forehead and rolling it in a 
knot at the back. As a race the Javanese are fond of jew- 
elry and perfumery; rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, 
etc., are worn in profusion, their value corresponding to 
the means of the wearer. [hey say that “‘it is mean and 
degrading not to dress according to one’s circumstances; 
or to be seen-in low company.’ ‘They hold it as a rule 
that “‘a man should robe himself in clothes that accord 
with his position or condition, and should scorn to lie or 
disgrace his family, or to play the hypocrite.” 

When the wealthy man goes abroad, he has a servant 
to hold a gigantic umbrella over him, the umbrella in Java 
being a sign of nobility. His dress is rich, in colors de- 
noting his rank, and he maintains a dignified air, paying 
no attention to the homage of a poor peasant or laborer, 
who is taught to fall on his knees as his superior passes by. 


Lying squarely in the middle of Java are the Vor- 
stenlanden, “‘the lands of the princes’? —- Surakarta — 


wax is allowed to trickle from the small end of a funnel upon those 
portions of the fabric that it is not desired to color, the operation be- 
ing exactly. duplicated ‘on the two sides. This done, the cloth is 
dipped in the dye vat, withdrawn and hung up to dry, and the wax 
removed later'‘with the use of boiling water. This series of opera- 
tions. is repeated in the application of each color, till the entire de- 
sign is transferred... The designs are of every conceivable descrip- 
tion, from conventional flowers and geometrical figures to jungle 
scenes and quaint representations of wild beasts, Certain designs 
may be worn only by the royalty, others by priests, and so on. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 41 


Solo, as it is called, and Djokjakarta (shortened to Djok- 
ja), the most picturesque states in Island India. Since our 
steamer was to leave Surabaya harbor on February 15, we 
decided to go there over land, so as to visit some of the 
historic places of the country and see a few of the ancient 
monuments. The mission trail here has also some Cath- 
olic institutions in charge of the Jesuit Fathers, and natur- 
ally we decided to include them in our journey. On Feb- 
ruary 10, after saying Mass at half past five o'clock, we 
were taken to the station in an auto. At seven o'clock 
our train, an express, left for Djokja. The train ride was 
remarkably fine, and I was much pleased with the courtesy 
and promptness of the service. “The scenery on each side 
was attractive, the rice fields were filled with busy workers, 
engaged in all sorts of operations in its cultivation. Here 
they were planting, there transplanting, there again, har- 
vesting. The villages of the natives were hidden from 
sight; but when the train went through certain sections, 
we could observe their groups of bamboo houses. At the 
expenditure of four Dutch cents —— about one and a half 
cent of American money — we enjoyed a fine dinner of 
_ luscious bananas. As we moved on, farther south, we 
came closer and closer to the mountain ranges and slum- 
bering volcano cones. At five o’clock we reached Djokja, 
where Father Straeter, S.J., was waiting for us at the sta- 
tion. He at once conducted us to the rectory. Here and 
elsewhere in the institutions of the Jesuit Fathers we met 
a number of missionaries who had seen service of ten to 
forty years in the apostolic field of Flores and other sec- 
tions of the Netherlands East Indies. It was a rare treat 
to listen to the experiences of these gray and venerable men. 
Some had to change their fields of labor three or four times, 
because of ecclesiastical divisions of the territory; and with 
each change, they had been obliged to learn a new lan- 


42 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


guage. After a visit to the church, we went to the Im- 
maculate Conception School, taught by the Brothers; and 
thence to the Sisters’ School, in charge of the Franciscans 
of Heythuizen, Holland. School work in Djokja, as 
everywhere else in the mission field, is an important factor 
in the Christianization of the natives. Father Van Drie- 
schen, S.J., who was born in Surabaya, now has charge of 
a native parish. 

Djokjakarta, or Djokja, is set in the middle of a 
broad and fertile plain, at the foot of the slumbering vol- 
cano of Merapi, whose occasional awakenings are marked 
by terrific earthquakes which shake the city to its founda- 
tions and often result in widespread destruction and loss 
of life. The city is one of broad, unpaved thoroughfares, 
shaded by rows of majestic waringas, and lined, in the 
European quarter, by handsome one-story houses, with 
white walls, green blinds, and Doric porticoes. It has 
80,000 inhabitants, inclusive of 5,000 Chinese and 1,500 
Europeans. Over 15,000 of these people live within the 
high walls of the kraton, which, like the Forbidden City 
of Peking, is really a city rather than a palace. The kraton 
and the former palace, the Water Castle, are the two great 
sights of the capital city. 

The Water Castle, Taman Sarie, or ‘‘Garden of Flow- 
ers,’ is a ruined palace built from the plans of a Portuguese 
architect, in 1758, for the then sovereign, Hamangku 
Buwono I. Its almost complete destruction was due to 
the earthquake of 1867, which did tremendous damage to 
Djokja and its vicinity. In its present ruined condition 
it still serves to give one a rather vivid idea of the sort of 
life lived by the semi-barbarous native monarchs — an 
Arabian Nights experience, at once primitive and luxu- 
rious to excess. The busiest part of the city is the Chi- 
nese quarter, for, here as elsewhere, commerce, both retail 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 43 


and wholesale, is largely in the hands of these sober, 
shrewd, hard-working yellow men. 

Between Fort Vredenburg and the Sultan’s palace 
stretches the broad alun-alun, its sandy, sun-baked ex: 
panse broken only by a splendid pair of waringa trees, 
clipped to resemble royal payongs, or parasols. In the 
old days those desiring audience with the sovereign were 
compelled to wait under these trees, frequently for days 
and occasionally for weeks, until the Sultan, “‘the ruler 
of the world and the Spike of the Universe,’ graciously 
condescended to receive them. Here also was the place of 
public executions, on the alun-alun, and these events pro- 
vided pleasurable excitement for the inhabitants of Djokja, 
who attended them in great numbers. 

Like the palaces of most Asiatic rulers, the kraton of 
the Sultan of Djokja is really a royal city in the heart 
of his capital. It consists of palaces, barracks, stables, 
pagodas, temples, offices, courtyards, corridors, alleys, and 
bazaars, the whole encircled by a high wall four miles in 
length. Everything that the sovereign can require, every 
necessity and luxury of life, every adjunct of pleasure, is 
assembled within the kraton. As the Sultan’s world is 
practically bounded by his palace walls, the kraton is, to 
all intents and purposes a little kingdom in itself; for there 
dwell within it, besides the officials of the household and 
the women of the harem, soldiers, priests, gold- and sil- 
versmiths, tailors, weavers, makers of batik, civil engi- 
neers, architects, carpenters, stonemasons, manufacturers of 
musical instruments, stage furniture, and puppets, all 
maintained by the court. 


44 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER V 
The Famous Boro-Budor 


The schools at Muntilan and Mendut —. The magnih- 

cent ruins — The stories they tell — Early expeditions — 

Java a kingdom — The Mohammedan Invasion — How 

the Boro-Budor was discovered —- The Javanese religion 

— The kris, a Malay weapon — The romance of the 
Sultan, or Susuhunan, of Surakarta. 


On February 11, after we had said Mass, we trav- 
eled by train to St. Xavier’s College at Muntilan, just one 
and a half hour’s ride from Djokja. Father Rector 
Schmidding, S.J., and Father Diderich, S.J., received us, 
and conducted us through the three departments of the big 
institution. “The. boy students were most engaging chaps, 
polite and respectful. “They wore the sarong and baju, 
with the handkerchief twisted, Javanese fashion, about 
their heads; and the evidence they gave of Catholic train- 
ing — first, by their manners, and again in the class-rooms 
— proved a silent commentary upon the sort of education 
which does not lose sight of one’s eternal destiny. On the 
day that followed (Sunday), we traveled to Mendut, 
where there is a Catholic parish and an institution for 
girls similar to that in Muntilan for boys. During Mass 
the girls squatted on the floor of the chapel, just as the 
-boys had done the day before; and I was struck with the 
grace of these young folk, as they rose to their feet with- 
out any support, and with a peculiar swaying of the up- 
per part of their bodies. When Mass ended, the Te Deum 
was sung in thanksgiving for the election of our new Holy 
Father. “Then followed a sermon. When devotions were 


PALL NpUey UI [OOYDS IWEYT JO UsIplIyD YA (pur][oY) uezmny}Ae_ JO s10}sTG uvoOsTOURIY 





The 


Famous 


Monument Known as 


the Boro-Budor in Java. It is one of the most magnificent 
early introduction of Buddhism in the island. 





relics of the 


' 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 45 


over, we went to the famous Boro-Budor (literally, in 
Javanese, “‘the great Buddha’’) about twenty minutes’ 
ride from Mendut. 

The ruins are situated in the middle of a fertile plain, 
stretching away to the slopes of the Merapi volcano’. 
The sanctuary stands on a broad platform and rises first 
in five square terraces, inclosing galleries or processional 
paths between their walls, which are covered on each side 
with bas-relief sculptures. If placed in single file these 
bas-reliefs would extend for three miles. “The terrace walls 
hold four hundred and thirty-six niches or alcove chapels, 
where life-size Buddhas sit serene upon lotus cushions. 
Staircases ascend in straight lines from each of the four 
sides, passing under stepped or pointed arches, the key- 
stones of which are elaborately carved masks; and rows of 
sockets in the jambs show where wood or metal doors 
once swung. Above the square terraces are three circular 
terraces, where seventy-two latticed dagobas (reliquaries, 
in the shape of the calyx or bud of the lotus) inclose, 
each, a seated image, —- seventy-two more Buddhas sit- 
ting in these inner, upper circles of Nirvana, facing a great 
dagoba, or final cupola. ‘This highest shrine is fifty feet 
in diameter, and must have covered either a relic of Bud- 
dha, or a central well where the ashes of priests and princes 
were deposited, or else it represents an obscure survival 

--1 A well-known writer, Mr. Frank G. Carpenter, says that “not- 
withstanding his Mohammedanism and his European education, even 
the Sultan of Solo sends offerings to the volcano of Merapi every 
year. A procession of servants goes to the slopes of the volcano, 
which is not far from Surakarta, leaving food, and even clothing. 
In times past Merapi has shaken the throne of the Sultan’s predeces- 
sors with its eruptions, so I suppose he takes no chances of offending 
its patron god. And it was not so long ago that the sultan of Djokja 
used to send gifts to the goddess of the coast on the southern shores 
of the island. The natives there still place close to the water their 
little piles of fruit and rice. When the tide comes up and takes them 


away, the Javanese say the goddess has claimed her own and is 
pleased.” 


46 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


from the forms of the tree-temples of the earliest, prim- 
itive East, when nature-worship prevailed. Here English 
engineers made an opening in the solid exterior, and 
found an unfinished statue of Buddha on a platform over 
a deep well-hole; and its head, half-buried in debris, 1s 
still seen in the cavern. 

Three fourths of the terrace chapels and the upper 
dagobas have crumbled; hundreds of statues are headless, 
armless, overturned, missing; tees, or finials, are gone from 
the bell-roofs; terrace walls bulge, lean outward, and have 
fallen on long stretches; and the circular platforms and 
the processional paths undulate. No cement was used to 
hold the fitted stones together; and another Hindu pecu- 
liarity of construction is the entire absence of a column, a 
pillar, or an arch. Vegetation wrought great ruin during 
its buried centuries, but earthquakes and tropical rains are 
working a slow but surer ruin now, unless the walls are 
straightened and strongly braced. 

This temple is a picture book of Buddhism. All the 
events in the life of Prince Siddhartha, Gautama Buddha, 
are followed in turn: his birth and education, his leaving 
home, his meditation, his teaching in the deer-park; his 
sitting in judgment and weighing even the birds in his 
scales, his death and entrance into Nirvana. ‘The every- 
day life of the seventh and eighth centuries is pictured. 
The life in courts and palaces, in fields and villages. Roy- 
al folk in wonderful jewels sit enthroned, with minions 
offering gifts and burning incense before them, warriors 
kneeling, and maidens dancing. The peasant plows the 
rice-fields with the same wooden stick and ungainly buf- 
falo, and carries the rice-sheaves from the harvest field with 
the same shoulder-poles that are employed in all the farther 
East today. Women fill their water vessels at the tanks 
and bear them away on their heads as in India now, and 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 47 


scores of bas-reliefs show the unchanging customs of the 
East that offers sculptors the same models in this century. 

All the neighborhood is full of beauty and interest, 
and there are smaller shrines at each side of Boro-Budor, 
where pilgrims in ancient times were supposed to make 
first and farewell prayers. One is called Chandi Pawon, 
or more commonly Dapor, the kitchen, because of its 
empty smoke-blackened interior. Chandi-Mendut, two 
miles the other side of Boro-Budor, is a pyramidal temple. 
Long lost and hidden in the jungle, it was accidentally 
discovered in 1835, and a space was cleared about it. The 
natives had never known of or suspected its existence; but 
investigations show that it was erected between A.D. 750 
and 800. 

We saw but a few of the ruins of Java; there are, so 
the Fathers told us, actually one hundred and fifty temples 
lying between Djokja and Solo. In Prambanam the bas- 
reliefs are not unlike those of Boro-Budor. In the chamber 
there is the great stone god, Ganesha, with the body of a 
man and the head of an elephant. It is in a sitting pos- 
ture, with the soles of the feet together. 

There seems now to be a general agreement that the 
first Hindu expedition to Java was that under Adt-Saka, 
or Adjth Saka, and it is not altogether improbable that 
this Adjih Saka is to be identified with the great Buddhist 
ruler, Asoka, King of Behar, who in 244 B. C. commenced 
that wonderful propaganda which established Buddhism 
in India and gave it a settled hierarchy. However, some 
chroniclers attribute the introduction of Buddhism, or 
rather of Brahmanism, to one, Tritestra, a priest; but here 
again, others regard Tritestra as identical with Adi-Saka, 
and his descendants are supposed to have ruled Java. 

When Mohammedanism swept the island from end to 
end, the Buddhist temples were destroyed by the followers 


48 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


of the prophet, and the priests were slaughtered on their 
altars. “The Buddhists, in order to save the famous shrine 
of Boro-Budor from desecration and destruction, buried it 
under many feet of earth. “hus the great monument re- 
mained, hidden and almost forgotten for three hundred 
years; but during the brief period of British rule in Java 
Sir Stamford Raffles ordered its excavation, the work 
being accomplished in less than two months. Since then 
the Dutch have taken further steps to restore and _ pre- 
serve it. 

This destruction was followed by the dispersal of all 
the craftsmen of Madjapahit, including the famous work- 
ers in steel. Many of them settled throughout the islands, 
one result of this being the general adoption of the kris 
(dagger). Many bodies of Hindu worshipers fled, refus- 
ing to change their religion.’ Java, as a whole, was con- 
verted to Islam almost as readily as to Buddhism, the truth 
being that the Javanese is at heart an animist. He utters 
the invocation, ‘There is no God but Allah, and Moham- 
med is His prophet,’’ but he does so facing a stone altar 
which stands beneath a tree, the primitive village altar of 
India. “To-day, despite Islam, that stone is the abode of 
the patron spirit of the village. Every field, every garden, 
every hill and valley has its emanation, its spirit, capable 
of good or evil, to be offended or propitiated, and every 
disease has its demon. 

‘The kris is distinctly a Malay weapon, and is a key 
to much of Malay custom and lore. If the Japanese sword 
was “‘the soul of the Samurai,’’ as much may be said for 
the kris of the Javanese warrior. The cutler or forger of 
kris blades ranked first of all artisans. There are more 
than one hundred varieties known, the distinctive Ja- 
vanese types of kris differing from those of the Malay 
Peninsular and other islands, forty varieties being used 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 49 


in Java and its immediate dependencies. “The kris used 
in Bali differs from that of Madura or Lombok, and that 
of Solo from that used in West or Sundanese Java. The 
differences imply many curiously fine distinctions of long- 
standing importance in etiquette and tradition; yet the 
kris is a comparatively modern ae a pee as such 
things go in Asia. 

At Solo, as at Djokja, there is the same ruler, who is 
called Susuhanan instead of Sultan, with the same semi- 
barbaric court life, the same fantastic costumes, a Dutch 
resident, a Dutch fort, and a Dutch garrison. But the 
kraton of the Susuhanan is far better kept than that of 
his fellow-ruler at Djokja, and shows more evidence of 
Europeanization. [he troopers of the royal body-guard 
are clever, soldierly-looking fellows in well-cut uniforms 
of European pattern, to which a distinctly Eastern touch 
is lent, however, by their steel helmets, their brass-em- 
bossed leather shields, their scimitars, and shoulder-guards 
of chain mail. 

The chronicle of the royal couple of Surakarta reads 
like a story with a happy ending. A hundred years ago 
the first prince of the house of Mangku Negara expressed 
his dying wish that his descendants would never marry any 
of the house of the first Sultan of Djokjakarta. For seven 
generations his wish was observed. But Kandjeng Gusti 
Pangeran Adipati Ario Prabu Prangwedono, the present 
head of the house of Mangku Negara, wedded Kandjeng 
Gusti Tuan Ratu Muriah, a daughter of the house of 
Djokjakarta. Prince Prangwedono is said to be the most 
progressive of the independent princes of Java. He is 
well-educated, has passed his examination as an officer in 
the Dutch army and holds the rank of Major. But his 
western education has not taught him to despise the ways 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 4 


50 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


of his own people. Within his kraton may be seen some 
of the most wonderful of the puppet shadow-plays and 
the beautiful symbolic dances of Java. His wedding with 
the Princess of Djokjakarta was an occasion for the re- 
vival of ancient Hindu-Javanese customs, for the prince 
is prominent among those who are trying to put new life 
into the old culture of the land. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 51 


CHAPTER VI 
On to Flores 


The danger of Mohammedanism — Its effect on the peo- 

ple — Off for Surabaya — Interesting sights —- The 1s- 

land of Madura — A calamity — Along the shores of 
Bali — Bali as a future mission field. 


Returning to Mendut, we visited once more the girls’ 
school in charge of the Dutch Franciscan Sisters: the 
place is one of the prettiest in Java. The children are well 
cared for; and again we could not help noticing their 
charming manners. All that is delicate and attractive in 
the Javanese character has been cultivated and made still 
more beautiful by the influence of our holy Faith. The 
rector of the church, an Austrian, received us with genuine 
hospitality; but we could not remain with him long. 

In Mendut, as elsewhere in the Neth. E. Indies, the 
great danger is Mohammedanism. Father Rector told us 
that the Javanese nobles and chiefs make frequent journeys 
to Mecca, and when they return they assume an air of 
utmost sanctity, which gives them extraordinary power 
over the uneducated classes. In fact, the Mohammedan 
imams are credited with being at the bottom of every 
rebellion. Every village possesses its mosque and priests. 
The latter are either Arabs or are of Arabian descent, and 
their numbers mount into the hundred thousands. And, 
declared the Father, the conversion of a Mohammedan is 
a rare occurrence. Once this belief has fastened itslf upon a 
man, he will not turn to Christianity. He not only will 
not listen to a discussion of another religious system, but 
is prepared to die for his faith, with all the wild enthu- 


52 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


siasm of a fanatic. Various reasons are assigned for this 
fact, but those principally given refer to the materialism of 
Mohammedanism, both in what it permits in this world 
and what it promises in the next, and the extraordinary 
simplicity of its creed, which is summed up in the single 
dogma: ‘‘There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is 
His prophet.’ A religion which requires no sacrifices, and 
rewards with unlimited animal gratifications, naturally 
appeals to those who have no great intellectuality and who 
find in it not only an excuse for, but an endorsement of, 
their passions. And it is in consequence of this that we 
find Mohammedanism making great progress among the 
Negroes of Africa and the inhabitants of Western and 
Central Asia, as well as here’. 

February 13 saw us on our way back to Djokja; and 
from Djokja, at a quarter before two o'clock, we started 
for Surabaya, traveling on a fine train which we found 
to be even faster and better than that on which we had 
reached Djokja from Batavia. On our arrival, our friends 
the Jesuit Fathers were again awaiting us, and we went 
with them to their pastorie (rectory). ‘Their church is 
attractive, and in the town there are two parishes with 
good parochial schools. “The Ursulines have charge of the 
girls; the Brothers, of the boys. 

The town of Surabaya is the most thickly populated 
of all Java. Formerly the capital of the Dutch settle- 
ments in the East Indies, it has been forced to cede that title 
to Batavia. But Surabaya continues to be the commercial 
center par excellence; of its 160,000 inhabitants, 8,000 
are Europeans, nearly 15,000 are Chinese, and some 2,800 
are Arabs. At least four fifths of the people think of 


_1 In Chapters XXII and XXIII will be found a complete de- 
scription and exposition of the influence of Mohammedanism in the 
Netherlands East Indies. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 53 


nothing but business, of buying and selling, the natives 
themselves having been drawn into the active commercial 
life of the port. Commerce is the chief occupation; the 
agreeables of life, which are by no means lacking, are only 
one of the results of this commercial activity, not the end 
of it. Oppressive though the climate may be, in Surabaya 
men work incessantly, without relaxation, and no other 
city in the island gives a more vivid impression of hard 
and fruitful labor. Indeed, one of the Fathers made an ex- 
cellent comparison between the life of Batavia and that of 
Surabaya. Batavia, he said, is the Amsterdam, or heart, 
of Java, and Surabaya is its Rotterdam, or matt. 

After we had made final arrangements with the 
K.P.M. for our passage to Flores, we went on a little sight- 
seeing tour through this busy city. At the business center 
of the town near the end of the Djambatan Merah, or red 
bridge, which connects the European with the Chinese 
quarter, one gets the best idea of the busy daily life of the 
place. Here one must be careful in crossing: the street, lest 
he be caught unawares by a passing vehicle. Traffic regu- 
lation is conspicuous by its absence, and amid the con- 
-glomeration of fast motor-cars, hurrying sados and kos- 
ongs (two-pony cabs), bullock carts with wheels five or 
six feet in diameter, and coolie-drawn hand-trucks, one 
may easily come to grief. The most irritating features of 
life at Surabaya are the regular afternoon arrival of hordes 
of mosquitoes and the peculiarly inquisitive character of 
the indigenous red ant. The town is a convenient point 
from which to start for other attractive spots, and a good 
place in which to do shopping; but in other respects there 
is little of exceptional interest to be found in it. 

On February 15, at ten o'clock, we set out for the har- 
bor, and after we had submitted to the regular examina- 
tion of the government physician, we were taken out to 


54 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the De Klerk which was lying out in the harbor, on a lit- 
tle launch bearing the name of S.S. Nora. At twelve 
o'clock the steamer left, and we said good-bye to Java: 
another point on our mission trail had been covered. 
After a half-hour’s sail from Surabaya, we saw the island 
of Madura on our left. This island is administered as a 
part of the territory of Java. There is a regular ferry 
service connecting the two, and the natives cross and re- 
cross, for the sake of trading. Madura is much like Java 
though not so rich. It is very small, but thickly popu- 
lated, and is noted for its beef. The people, though more 
wild and fierce than the Javanese, are fond of their stock, 
and treat their cattle quite as well as their children. They 
wash their cows every day, keep them tied up, cut much of 
their feed, and one of their great amusements is cattle 
racing. Most of the salt of Java comes from Madura. It 
is from sea water, evaporated in great reservoirs. The 
sale of this salt is a government monopoly, and brings 
in a revenue of millions of dollars a year. All over Java 
there are warehouses where it is sold to merchants and 
private persons. 

There were only fifteen passengers in the first-class 
cabins of the De Klerk, and the captain spared himself no 
trouble to make the voyage pleasant; while the first mate, 
who had been at our main station of Ndona, Flores, told 
us a great deal about the Fathers of the Society of the 
Divine Word who are working there. That afternoon a 
real calamity overtook us: the only bottle of altar wine 
we had burst at the bottom, and that meant that we should 
have no Mass until we arrived at Endeh-Ndona, Flores! 

We had been prepared for the beauty of this part of 
the world, since many pens have written, unforgettably, 
of the South Seas. Nor are their glowing descriptions 
exaggerated. Faint dark spots appeared upon the horizon, 





i 


Island of Bal 


Fantastic and Ornate Funeral Pyre 


OR eee ee ree tear ee | 


bad 


Vitae J 





Splendid Way of Approach to a Temple in Bali 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 55 


— ‘green islands with softly waving palms,’ — islands 
destitute of life, deserted, and visited only at rare intervals 
by wandering natives or white men after adventure — 
islands ‘with shores glistening in the sun, reaching away as 
far as the eye can travel.’ And in the distance there were 
the ‘incoming seas, gathering far out and rising in sheer 
walls, with wind-whipped spray.’ Our gaze, however, 
was fixed upon another horizon, and though not insensible 
to the beauty of God’s creation, we looked across the heav- 
ing billows to that part of His work which makes sweet 
the labors and travels of the missionary, —— scanned, as it 
were, the spiritual regions ahead, looking out for the souls 
of his heart’s desire. 

The next morning, February 16, found us passing 
along the shores of Bali, one of the Little Sunda Islands’; 
consequently, we perceived that we were already ‘‘at home’ 
—— that is, we were in the missionary district entrusted to 
our Society. 

Bali has an estimated area of three thousand square 
miles, as large as Rhode Island and Delaware together. 
Jt is mountainous, some of the ranges rising to three thou- 
sand feet, and falling away, as they descend toward the 
coast, to undulating plains. In the north there are moun- 
tain peaks which easily match our Rocky Mountains in 
height, the most remarkable of them being the peak of 
Bali, which attains an altitude of 10,000 feet, and that of 
Guning Batukau, which is 7,500 feet in height. There 
are many volcanoes, numbers of which have proved dis- 
astrous, more than once, to the surrounding country. 

In an account which was given to us, later, by one of 
our missionaries, we learned that Bali, up to the year 1906, 

2 The Little Sundas consist of the islands of Bali, Lombok, 
Sumba, Sumbawa, Flores, Timor, Solor, Adonara, Lomblem, Pantar, 


Alor, Wetar, and a number of smaller islands adjacent to certain of 
these. 


56 ‘ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


was divided into no fewer than nine independent dynas- 
ties. After the revolution which broke out in that year, 
it came entirely under the sovereignty of the Netherlands; 
and since then, much has been done to open up the in- 
terior, but the mountainous nature of the country renders 
this work extremely hard. The difficulties are quite evi- 
dent, when one comes to note the macadam roads which 
now cut through the country, and the bridges which span 
the ravines. ; 

‘The mountains give to the island a romantic appear- 
ance, and the fertility of the plains and valleys is wonder- 
ful. True, the large population of the island makes it 
necessary for the farmer to use to advantage every piece of 
ground, even on the hills and mountains; but the soil is 
most prolific, and the heavy crops of rice and maize, the 
luxurious palm-groves and the coffee and tobacco planta- 
tions, prove sufficiently that his efforts are not in vain. 
An officer recently picked a rice paddy and counted one 
hundred and fifty kernels. Besides rice, corn, tobacco, 
cotton, and cocoanuts, the small island produces about 
160,000 pounds of coffee every year. 

This fertile island has a population of one million 
human beings, in round numbers, crowded together on this 
small speck of land. ‘The people of Bali are an energetic 
and sound race. ‘They are larger than their neighbors, 
the Javanese, and by no means unattractive. The women 
are very strong. In their ears they wear thick blocks of 
bamboo, and their temples are patched with spots of white. 
American ornaments, such as chains and bracelets, are also 
worn by them. 

The people received their present civilization from 
Java, together with Hinduism. Consequently the Brah- 
mins are well represented. Even the indefatigable efforts of 
the Mohammedans have failed in wresting this ancient 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 57 


cult from them, for all their habits and customs may be 
traced to Hinduism. As caste distinction is the character- 
istic of Hinduism, so there is distinction of rank in Bali; 
true, it is not so sharply drawn between the several classes 
as in India, but traces of the original four castes are still 
evident. These are the Brahmins (priests or priestesses) 
wearing as their distinctive badge, a kind of holy-water 
font; the dewas or nobles and rulers of the country, rec- 
ognized by their weapons; the husbandmen, wearing a 
plough (even noblemen may belong to this caste); and 
the syndras, or laborers. Foreigners, without much ado, 
are placed with the last class, even though some distin- 
guished persons are received as priests and nobles. Nota 
few caste distinctions, however, are gradually disappearing,. 
through the influence of the West. A dewa, for instance, 
now finds nothing wrong in holding intercourse with a 
syndra. Formerly, such a matter was considered a crime. 

The custom prevailing among these people, of burn- 
ing their dead, and with them, the remaining members of 
the family, also has its origin in the Hindu cult. This 
custom may be discriminated into three classes: the first 
bury their dead; the second burn them; and the third 
burn them with great ceremonies. A large pyre is erected, 
custom enjoining that its height shall be determined by 
the rank of the deceased in life. Men and women, in 
festive attire, solemnly proceed to the house of the dead. 
The corpse is placed on a bier and carried to a burial- 
place which is provided at a distance of thre to six thou- 
sand feet from the house. These funeral processions give 
the impression of a triumphal march. Arrived at the site, 
the corpse is placed on the first story of the pyre. The 
widows, according to an ancient custom, were formerly 
obliged to ascend the pyre with the corpse, and leaning 
close against it, to await death. If these and other mem- 


58 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


bers of the family had the courage to throw themselves. 
voluntarily into the flames, Satyaloha (heaven) was as- 
sured to them. Fortunately, the Dutch Government has 
abolished this cruel custom. To make these ceremonies 
possible also to the poorer classes, burial is often delayed 
for a long time, in order that several bodies may be 
burned on the same pyre. ‘The ashes are gathered and 
carefully preserved. 

Hinduism has done much for the general culture of 
Bali. This is evident from the numerous fine old temples 
scattered all over the island, these being veritable monu- 
ments of art. Some are of the pagoda style, ten to twelve 
stories high, with various stories supported by pillars. 
Others are elaborately carved, showing geometrical forms, 
figures, flowers, leaves, and fruit, all artistically arranged. 
In the villages, of course, the temples assume a simpler 
form. Here the spirit or idol may be satisfied to abide in 
a house of mud or bricks. 

The houses of the natives are of the same material. 
Every farm, as well as every village, is surrounded by a 
wall. The people’s quick sensibility to the beauties of 
nature is gratified in the rich and gorgeous flora of their 
country. In every possible way they make use of it and 
display it. On feasts and other occasions, women and 
children, horses and wagons, are extravagantly decorated 
with flowers. Even the men are seen with a flower behind 
the ear. ‘Their sense of art runs parallel with their love 
for learning. For hours at a time they will sit and listen 
to tales of distant lands, and their clever questions keep one 
busy answering. 

They also have their balls and dances, and on these 
occasions old and young assemble in the open place of the 
village. Among the dancers, young girls, eight to ten 
years of age, fantastically dressed, are extremely popular. 


leg ‘elpeiesuig 
ur oovid-Suryjeg pousiseq AT[eOI}sI}JIy JSO[ pur [NjJrepuoMm e — ,.e[OY YA, YL 





eS ee Oe 


Gusti Bagus and Wife, 


of Karang Asam, Bali. 
Wilhelmina of Holland 


The table 





is a gift from Queen 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 59 


as they keep time to the gamalam, or native musical instru- 
ment. 

Here, too, as in the Philippines, rooster fights are pop- 
ular. With tender, almost maternal, care they raise the 
young roosters, but for a barbarous sport. As soon as 
the rooster is old enough, the day and hour are appointed 
for the fight. A sharp knife about ten inches long is at- 
tached to each foot of the bird, his opponent wearing the 
same deadly weapons. As soon as the roosters see each 
other, they are seized with a violent rage, and at a given 
signal are let loose —- sometimes to die in a few moments. 
Bets of large sums are often made on these occasions. ‘The 
excitement is inexpressible, and entire fortunes are staked 
on one rooster. 

The people of Bali are lively and pleasure-loving, but 
at the same time they are an industrious, healthy race, and 
certainly religiously inclined. “They are extremely devoted 
to their idols, and often make pilgrimages in procession to 
their shrines, to offer food, flowers, and other presents. 
There is no doubt, concluded the Father who gave to us 
this description, that these people would gladly make sacri- 
_fices to the one true God if they but knew Him. 

This last expression of conviction brings us back to a 
statement that I made when we found ourselves lying off- 
shore before Bali. I said that we were now “‘at home,” 
because this island is included in the ecclesiastical province 
of the Little Sunda Islands entrusted to our Fathers. How- 
ever, there has never yet been any definite or continuous 
missionary work carried on in Bali, nor has there in the 
two associated islands (also included in our Little Sunda 
Islands mission) of Lombok and Sumbawa, with the ex- 
ception of one recorded attempt of deep significance made 
by the Protestants: of this I shall speak presently. There- 
fore one beholds here a splendid and open field for heroic 


60 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


missionary endeavor (although at first, opposition against 
missionaries is certain to be very great in these islands) ; 
and this labor will surely be taken up with zeal, just as 
soon as a sufficient number of priests can be made available 
for the effort. As yet the field is left untouched, but for 
the semi-annual visits of priests who, under government 
auspices, stop at all principal ports, in order to hear the 
confessions of white residents. 

But some years ago a truly zealous Protestant minister 
settled on Bali, and drudged away for years, with prac- 
tically no signs of encouragement or fruitage. At last he 
gained one convert, and fostered this spiritual son with 
all fatherly kindness. By way of return, the young neo- 
phyte finally turned on him and slew him, this being his 
most characteristic act of recognition of the great gift that 
had been conferred upon him. ‘The Protestants, discour- 
aged by this disastrous conclusion of an initial spiritual 
attempt, have subsequently made no further efforts to con- 
vert the inhabitants of Bali. 

However, in the year 1921 a most favorable opportun- 
ity was given to our Father de Lange (then administrator 
of our Little Sunda Islands mission) to take over a Dutch- 
Indian school on Bali, and thus to lay a foundation for 
a beginning of conversions; but the Father was unable im- 
mediately to take advantage of the offer, because he was 
utterly without men to assume charge of the work. But 
some attempt of this sort will surely be made within the 
next few years. In this connection, the words of the late 
apostolic prefect, Msgr. Noyen, of our mission, are worth 
recording: 

“May the time soon come when our missionaries will 
be found working on Bali; but only truly humble, patient, 
holy, and learned priests will possess the needful qualities 
which will fit them for winning their way among the peo- 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 61 


ple. During the first ten years of such pioneer work we 
cannot expect conversions; but when the time arrives for 
the beginnings of a harvest, I am convinced that the 
Christians of Bali will be exemplary representatives of the 
Faith in the Netherlands East Indies, and that they will 
be men capable of taking their places in any department 
of private or public life —- in the trades, arts, in politics, 
or in offices of ecclesiastical dignity. Yet, very likely, the 
Lord will ask for sacrifices and, it may be, for the precious 
lives of some of the missionaries. But in spirit I can al- 
ready see Bali crowned with churches, peopled with holy 
men, women, and children.” 

God grant that these hopes become living realities in 
the not too distant future. 


By noon of February 16, we passed the great Peak, 
and the view was splendid as we turned southward to 
Ampannan, which is the western port of the island of 
Lombok. Here we made our first stop. While sailing 
around the island of Bali, we could easily perceive a num- 
ber of its famous Hindu monuments and temples. 


62 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER VII 
Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba 


The peak of Lombok — First discovery and conquering of 

Bali and Lombok — The island of Sumbawa — A dan- 

gerous passage —- Sumba, the “‘Sandalwood Island’? — 
Sumba’s mission history. 


On the night of February 16 we left for the eastern 
part of Lombok, turning around the northern shore. One 
of the most interesting of islands, it is less known than 
Bali, although it has been under the political domination 
of the latter since the eighteenth century. Volcanic and 
mountainous like its neighbor, it possesses one of the most 
lofty and magnificent summits in all the Indies —— that of 
Rinjani, or the Peak of Lombok, 12,290 feet high. The 
streams are smaller than those of Bali, but so numerous 
that the eastern plains, where rice and coffee are the princi- 
pal crops, are marvelously fertile. The inhabitants of 
Lombok, the Sasaks, are Mohammedans. ‘They are not 
particularly fervent nor have they many mosques; they 
eat no meat but beef —- unlike their neighbors the Balinese, 
to whom the eating of beef would be a sacrilege. 

Bali and Lombok were discovered in 1597, but the 
extremely war-like nature of the inhabitants made their 
conquest a matter of great difficulty. Only in 1743 did 
the Sultan of Surakarta cede his rights in Bali to the 
Dutch; but the island did not recognize the sovereignty of 
Holland until nearly a century later — in 1841; and dan- 
gerous rebellions necessitated lengthy military expeditions 
in the years 1846, 1848, and 1849. Lombok was no bet- 
ter. The arrogant Balinese, who forbade their subject 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 63 


Sasaks the right to bestride a horse upon their native is- 
land, looked with the blackest disfavor upon the irruption 
of powerful foreigners. The Dutch advanced prudently, 
urged by the complaints of the oppressed Sasaks or the 
lower-caste Balinese, and enforced their representations 
by long and bloody campaigns. 

In 1894 the military power of the princes of Lom- 
bok was finally broken; the radjahs submitted and are now 
apparently loyal. But the princes of Bali were only de- 
feated, and in 1906 an other expedition had to be des- 
patched to the latter island. 


We arrived at the eastern port, called Labuan Hadyji, 
on the morning of February 17; and in the afternoon 
we reached the port of Sumbawa (which is in the north- 
western section of the island of the same name), but left 
almost immediately for the main port, Bima, of the same 
island. Sumbawa is famous for its many volcanoes, both 
active and dormant; there were terrible eruptions in 1815, 
when 12,000 lives were lost; and the island was again 
partially devastated in the years 1836 and 1860. 

The island is ruled by the Dutch, through the native 
chiefs (of which there are two) and many tribal chiefs. 
Bima is the main port, with a beautiful harbor completely 
bottled in. One of the sultans, who had come aboard the 
ship with us at Surabaya, now disembarked, taking with 
him the handsome auto which he had purchased for 
11,000 guilders (about $4500). A fine, likable chap he 
was, too, but a Mohammedan, like most of his subjects. 
He had observed his religious duties faithfully while on 
board, and would not eat pork. There was a great crowd 
awaiting him at the landing bridge. 

We finally got out of this picturesquely indented har- 
bor of Bima, bound for the eastern obscure corner of Sum- 


64 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


bawa, going south through the Indian Ocean to the isle of 
Sumba or ‘‘Sandalwood Island,’ the real home country 
of this most fragrant of woods. During our passage 
through the strait of Sape we had a peculiar experience. 
On our right was the island of Sumbawa and to our left 
there emerged from the sea the cone-like rock of Gunan- 
gapi, —- ‘‘the eye of the devil,’’ — an active volcano about 
4000 feet in height, with a number of small islets and reefs 
farther away. “The weather was pleasant and the sea 
smooth and quiet. I was conversing with one of the 
passengers, when suddenly, without any warning, the 
water foamed and swelled about the boat, as if driven 
by a great wind. None of the passengers knew what this 
meant, for there was no hint of a storm, and we were 
astonished at the grave aspect of the captain. Later he 
explained that the strait of Sape is known as one of the 
most dangerous in the world. A number of sea currents 
meet at this particular spot, and light ships often experi- 
ence much difficulty in passing through. On our right we 
observed a small island where a lighthouse had been 
erected. It was at the rock upon which this very light- 
house is built that a ship of the K.P.M. came to grief, 
being dashed against it by the force of an overwhelming 
current. Passengers and crew were saved, fortunately, but 
the boat went to pieces. No captain will pass through 
this strait at night, if he can help it, or during inclement 
weather; for there are hidden reefs and rocks which make 
it doubly perilous at these times. We were informed that 
the strait of Lintah, which is situated farther east, is just 
as dangerous. Sometimes the current there races at a speed 
of twenty miles an hour. When we left Sape and got out 
into the Indian Ocean, we noticed that the sea was quite 
heavy —— unpleasantly so. 





ms | 
on 

3 

0 


@ ee ee 


ea 


er Sa a 


1. Native Girl (of Larantuka) Attired in Modish Dutch 
Costume. 2. People of Sumba Island. 





Mountaineers near Larantuka 





An Extinct Volcano 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 65 


~- Just before dark we saw the mountains of Flores in 
the distance, but we were not to reach our goal so soon. 
There was a landing to be made at Sumba first, Waikelo, 
the harbor, being reached at six o'clock on Sunday morn- 
ing, February 19. | 

Here something must be said of the very interesting 
but at the same time distressing mission history of Sumba. 
One is ever eager to recount tales that evince the manner 
in which the spirit of Christ catches fire in the souls of 
men, no matter of what race, color, clime, or tribal af- 
filiation, whenever this spirit is made known in their 
midst. But with many such narratives of mission lands 
there must frequently follow a report of what consti- 
tutes one of the saddest events in all human experience, 
no matter where or when one learns of its occurrence: I[ 
refer to the gradual crumbling away of a work once glo- 
riously built up. 

In the year 1889 a Jesuit priest (named Schweits) , 
accompanied by a brother, went to Sumba and immedi- 
ately received a warm welcome from the then reigning king 
_of Laora, the northwestern section of the island. It so 
happened that this king had had three years of education 
on the island of Java, could speak Malay well, and was 
very anxious that his children should receive advantages 
similar to those which had been his. 

For this reason, the missionaries were well received, 
and the king made every effort to assist them in carrying 
out their plans in his territory. Soon the Fathers acquired 
a certain facility in using the native language, and imme- 
diately began to win the hearts of the people. A school 
was opened wherein the children of the king and of the 
chiefs of local sections received instruction. The sacred 
doctrines of our holy religion were gradually taught to 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 5 


66 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


all the people, and with the support and direct aid of the 
king, a church was erected. Within a year’s time the first 
nine children of Sumba received their first holy Commun- 
ion; and in 1895, Msgr. Staal, vicar apostolic of the vi- 
cariate of the Netherlands East Indies, visited Sumba and 
confirmed 22 Christians. 

But the island was isolated, and the Jesuits became so 
short of priests for their work in the Netherlands East In- 
dies that it was found impossible to stand the expense of 
retaining the missionaries on Sumba; and no help seemed 
forthcoming from other quarters just at this time. An 
effort had been made to secure Sisters from Europe, but 
all congregations appealed to had refused to enter upon 
this work, although it seemed absolutely necessary to have 
women religious in order to make the mission permanently 
effective. “Thus it came to pass that in 1898 the mission- 
aries were withdrawn from Sumba, in spite of the anxious 
appeals of the Christians to have the ordinary blessings of 
Holy Church made safe for them. 

From that time on, no opportunity was presented to 
continue and renew the missionary work so auspiciously 
begun, and even today the Christians of the island are 
without the consolation. of religion, with the exception 
of semi-annual visits paid by one of our Fathers. Mean- 
time, the Dutch government had sent Protestant mission- 
aries to the island, who began to carry on the work of 
evangelization among the un-Christianized natives. But 
in the case of the Catholics, with the coming of the years 
they began to lapse from their religious practices, being 
without the aid and strengthening helpfulness of a priest, 
and they gradually fell away into semi-pagan ways of 
living. Nevertheless, when our Fathers first began to 
visit them they found many wonderful and edifying evi- 
dences of the strength of the ‘“‘cords of Christ.’’ Great 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 67 


numbers of the people are at the present day only waiting 
for the coming of a resident priest, that they may again 
proceed to build up in earnest the old walls of Christian 
Faith and integrity which had been allowed to fall 
through lack of use. 


68 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER VIII 


With Our Missionaries on Flores 


We reach the bay of Endeh — A singular meditation 

(recollections of early mission history) —- Up to Ndona 

with Father de Lange — The boys of the misston — The 

Jesuits on Flores and Timor — Some present-day sta- 
tistics. 


After leaving Waikelo, we proceeded to the second port 
of interest on the same island —- Waingapu. This made 
our sixth and final stop before reaching Flores. It was a 
peculiar Sunday, for we could not say Mass, but had to 
celebrate what the Carthusians call a missa sicca. ‘The 
sea was much rougher, though we managed to get some 
rest. Very early in the morning we sighted Flores, but it 
was over an hour later when the De Klerk laid anchor, at 
six o'clock, in the bay of Endeh, the principal port of 
‘floral island.’ 

During the last hour on board in sight of that won- 
derful isle of missionary endeavor, —- of marvelous suc- 
cesses and failures, of tremendous struggles and upheavals, 
until the gradual flowering of all the splendid opportuni- 
ties which, I had been told over and over again, the coun- 
try now held forth: with this all before me, I say, I was 
insensibly led into a mood of curious meditation. I began 
to follow up in thought the whole trend of mission his- 
tory as it is recorded of Flores; and I must give you at 
least a portion of it, for it will serve as a real foundation 
upon which to build our own missionary impressions, as 
we follow along, from station to station, throughout the 
length and breadth of the island. The mission histories 


sol0oi,g ‘Yapuy }e popueT 9M 2IOUM 












Headquarters of the Official Resident of the Dutch Government, Endeh, Flores. In the 
background is to be seen the Gunung Medja (mountain), which lies directly before Ndona, 
the central station of our missionaries. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 69 


of Flores, Solor, and Adonara run together, and thus | 
will recount them. 

The first Portuguese visited these islands in 1559, and 
in 1560 the priest of the fleet baptized several hundred 
children on the island of Endeh (this is a small coastal 
island lying to the south of Middle Flores). During the 
year following, the Dominicans (Portuguese) established 
themselves on Solor. They began to succeed with a suc- 
cess that could hardly have been expected under the cir- 
cumstances. They built twelve small fortressed parish 
centers, each with a church and a complete parochial de- 
partment; thus they secured for themselves and their con- 
verted faithful protection against foreign enemies and the 
attacks of Mohammedans. ‘Then they advanced their 
work, settling in Maumere, Mare, Sikka, and Numba, on 
Flores, and also on the island of Endeh. They continued 
to triumph everywhere; but it must be admitted that their 
prestige is partly to be ascribed to the fact that they had 
the strong governmental support of Portugal. However, 
a change came, and their work began to be put to the test. 

In 1654 Javanese pirates landed on Solor and on 
- Adonara. They burned down churches and created gen- 
eral havoc in many places. In 1670 Javanese corsairs ran- 
sacked Endeh, killed many Christians and put the resident 
priest to the torture. Finally, a wonderfully strong fort- 
ress and church were erected on the island of Endeh, and 
fugitives from all sides gathered at this place for refuge 
and protection. The ruins of this fortress may be seen 
today; they reveal the heroic efforts of these early Chris- 
tians to maintain themselves and to perpetuate the holy 
Faith which they had embraced. 

_ From 1570 to 1595 there was peace, and then certain 
Mohammedan rebels stirred up many native princes against 
the Christians. Success attended their efforts — priests, 


70 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


brothers, soldiers, and natives died for the sake of the 
holy Catholic Faith; the fortress was partially demolished 
and the church and convent were entirely destroyed by 
fire. The revolt passed on from Solor to Flores. In 1620 
another renegade prince made trouble. Desiring to obtain 
the sovereingty over Endeh and Solor, he appealed to the 
prince of Makassar for support. In consequence, the no- 
torious Mohammedan, Don Juan, was sent with 40 ships 
and 3000 men; but in the end this whole nefarious enter- 
prise failed utterly. 

In 1613 came the Dutch, who finally succeeded in 
wresting the islands from the Portuguese. Meantime there 
were twenty years of peace and of great advances in the 
spread of the Faith; but as has ever been and is now the 
case wherever Christianity spreads, the menace of Moham- 
medanism became ever greater and greater. In 1637 the 
Mohammedans overturned the religious seats of the Por- 
tuguese in Endeh and on the island of Endeh, and utterly 
banished the Catholic religion. “Today nothing but the 
ruins of former buildings exists to indicate the close of the 
struggle of that time. On Solor and East Flores there 
continued, from that time on until 1859, more or less 
constant struggles between Dutch, Portuguese, and the 
Mohammedans, all to the fearful disadvantage and loss 
of the Catholic Faith. Portuguese missionaries were made 
to suffer terribly; but in spite of this, the people of Laran- 
tuka (East Flores) remained Catholics and were never 
afraid to fight for their spiritual rights. In 1859 a treaty 
was concluded between the Netherlands and Portugal, by 
which the latter, in consideration of a payment of $80,000 
ceded to the Netherlands every claim to Solor and Flores. 
When the inhabitants of Larantuka were informed of this, 
they were enraged, but were advised to accept the political 
situation quietly, with the promise that Dutch priests 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 71 


would be sent them, to take the places of the Portuguese 
Fathers who were obliged to leave. The Dutch government 
made arrangements with the vicar apostolic of Batavia 
to send Jesuits to the islands; and in consequence, Father 
P. G. Metz landed in Larantuka in 1864. ‘This consti- 
tuted the first founding of the wonderful work of the 
Jesuits in the Little Sunda Islands. 


The hour was up, and we were ready to go ashore. 
It was windy, and we found it a bit difficult to get down 
the steps into the motor-boat that was to take us ashore. 
Above all, we thought it strange not to see any of our 
Fathers or Brothers awaiting us. When we set foot on 
land we looked upon many types of people, and noted 
many a fierce Mohammedan; but we were unable to find 
a single Father or Brother. We were puzzled, wondering 
if our men in Ndona, which is not very far from the har- 
bor, had not received the letter that I sent from Bangued, 
Philippine Islands, ten days before we left Manila. 

We found two coolies to carry our baggage, and then 
went to the telephone office —- happy to discover on our 
arrival, that there was a connection with our central mis- 
sion station at Ndona. Father deLange, acting superior of 
the then prefecture apostolic, answered my call and was 
more than astonished to hear of our arrival. Fortunately, 
he said, a few of our Fathers had come in from outlying 
stations, due to a presentiment that we might arrive on 
this steamer. In about forty minutes Father was down 
after us, with a buggy. Then up we rode, through the 
cocoanut plantations, ‘Yours truly” sitting on a narrow 
board in the rear of the vehicle; for there were only two 
seats. Frater Buis, a scholastic from Holland, who has 
recently finished his studies at Techny and is now an or- 
dained priest, met us on horseback; and when we came to 


72 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the station, we were welcomed with the strains of a native 
flute orchestra. Six Fathers, four Brothers, and five Sis- 
ters greeted us joyfully; and with the two hundred boys 
of the station, we all went at once to the chapel, where we 
said a sincere Deo Gratias for our successful trip. “Then 
we sang the Veni Creator; and after that, Father General 
and I were happy in being privileged to say Mass again, 
following our four days’ suspension. As it was the third 
Monday of the month, we offered the Holy Sacrifice in 
honor of the Holy Ghost, imploring once more the bless- 
ing of God upon the coming two months which we in- 
tended to spend in this part of our mission field. 

After breakfast there was a little play, given in the 
open air. by the boys. We, with the Fathers and Brothers 
of the community, took our seats on the terraced veranda, 
from which we could survey the interesting crowd. The 
flute orchestra, of some forty boys, performed a few fine 
pieces on their native instruments. 

After the music, there was a speech of welcome by a 
native teacher; and it was but shortly after this that we 
learned that my letter, posted ten days before our depar- 
ture from Manila, had arrived with us on the De Klerk. 
What was still more interesting, as illustrating our mis- 
sionaries’ absolute exclusion from the world of home news, 
was the fact that although fourteen days had elapsed since 
the election of the new Holy Father, the priests, Brothers, 
and Sisters knew nothing about it. How far away they 
are, in their isolation from the great events that are making 
history! All along-the mission trail this fact was brought 
home to me. ‘These apostolic men and women of good 
blood and ancestry, of the finest upbringing and educa- 
tion, human in their feelings, their sensitiveness, lovers 
of home land and family, deliberately and voluntarily shut 
themselves away from all, for the sake of souls! I wonder 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 73 


what God will say, at the Last Judgment, to those Catho- 
lics who are frequently heard to declare: ‘“We have enough 
to do at home! I do not believe in missions! Why travel 
abroad to save pagans, when there are so many around 
us!’’ What a sad return we make to our heroic mission- 
aries by even allowing such thoughts as these! If the 
missionaries do not receive encouragement from us, to 
whom shall they turn on earth? They have not put aside 
their human hearts, their human bodies, their human ne- 
cessities! Moreover, I firmly believe that the benefactors 
whose names are carried by the lips of a missionary to the 
Throne of the Most High, can confidently expect to be 
protected in this life and to be made happy in the next — 
that is, of course, if they co-operate with the graces that 
are sure to be showered upon them. ‘This is my honest 
belief, after spending almost two years in traveling from 
post to post, seeing not alone our own self-sacrificing 
Fathers and Brothers of the Society of the Divine Word, 
our own Missionary Sisters, Servants of the Holy Ghost, 
but also many missionary priests, Sisters, and Brothers 
of other Orders and congregations, doing mission work 
abroad. All are alike in zeal and sacrifice, and no aid that 
is given them will go unrecorded or unrewarded in their 
hearts. 7 


74 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER IX 


Our Jesuit Predecessors 


A new vicariate and a new vicar apostolic — Recruits 
from other fields —- The Jesuits on Flores and Timor — 
The Franciscan Sisters of Heythuizen — Dutch Sisters of 


Charity —— Father Ysseldyk on Flores, and Father 
Mathijssen on Timor — Msgr. Luypens’ solicitude for 
the mission — The work as continued by our Fathers — 


Some present-day statistics. 


Just at the time of our arrival, our Fathers of the 
mission were deeply interested in the election of a prefect 
apostolic for the Little Sunda Islands to succeed our Rt. 
Rev. Peter Noyen, S.V.D., who had died in our Mother 
House during the last general chapter. We did not know 
until a month later that the prefecture had been made a 
vicariate. 

It was in the year 1913 that the Little Sunda Islands 
(with the exception of Flores, which was added in 1914) 
were turned over to the Society of the Divine Word, as 
a prefecture apostolic. That same year, Father Peter 
Noyen, S.V.D., who had been for ten years engaged in 
mission work in South Shantung, China, was called upon 
to transfer his mission labors to the island of Timor, 
N. E. I. Soon, Father Verstraelen, S.ViD., formerly a 
missionary in Togo, Africa, followed him, also Brothers 
Lucian and Calixtus, the latter Brother having previously 
served for many years in mission work in former German 
New Guinea. 

As I have stated, Flores was purchased from the Por- 
tuguese by the Dutch in 1859, and this date marks the 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 15 


coming of two Dutch missionaries (secular priests) to 
the island. These priests were succeeded in 1864 by the 
Jesuits, who at that time brought about the noble be- 
ginnings of their splendid labors in the Little Sunda Is- 
lands, — labors which they have since left to our Fathers, 
in the shape of mission monuments bequeathed to them, 
to perpetuate, to enhance, and to build upon. But I must 
tell you: something more at length about the efforts of the 
Jesuits on Flores and Timor. 

Their work progressed very rapidly. Within a year 
of their arrival, a school for the training of catechists was 
erected and founded at Larantuka; and the missionaries 
began to go out from this central station, to visit all the 
villages along the coast in which the Portuguese Domini- 
cans had formerly labored. They did not venture across 
country or into the interior, for at no time had they 
sufficient priests to warrant their undertaking this ad- 
vance work. 

As early as 1879 they came to realize the need of 
religious Sisters for work in the islands; and during that 
year, in response to their request, a community of the 
Sisters of Heythuizen was sent from Holland. 

In many places the people became most loyal and 
valiant champions of the Faith. Particularly was this the 
fact in Sikka. Sometime after 1884, when a resident 
priest was stationed there, a governmental resident sta- 
tioned at Timor chanced to visit Flores; and when he came 
to Sikka and proceeded to note the changes and improve- 
ments evident on all sides, he, realizing who was respon- 
sible for the new state of affairs, addressed the native king 
of the place, Don Andre Ximenes de Sylva, with scorn- 
ful remarks, upbraiding him severely for yielding to out- 
side influences and for his friendly relations with the mis- 
sionaries. Whereupon Don Andre retorted: 


76 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


“Thou, Grand Master, wouldst hardly have ventured 
to use such great swelling words among us, were it not for 
the fact that the good Father has of late been our teacher, 
and that we have become his disciples in some of these 
matters.” 

In 1889 the Dutch Sisters of Charity (Zusters van 
Liefde) came from Europe and settled at Maumere. But 
the land in this place was low and swampy and miserably 
unhealthful. On this station alone, within comparatively 
few years, no less than twelve religious (priests and Sis- 
ters) died. For these reasons the community and schools 
were removed to Lela, which is situated on the southern 
coast and on higher ground. Subsequently the whole 
locality in and about Maumere was by order of the gov- 
ernment drained and made far more healthful. 

Little by little, as opportunities offered and as men 
were found available for the work, missionary administra- 


tions were greatly extended, and soon resident stations — 


began to be multiplied. 

In 1889 Father Ysseldyk settled at a place called Kot- 
ting, which is situated halfway between Maumere and Le- 
la. Here he worked with the greatest zeal and self-sacrifice, 
for years and years. He expended all his patrimony upon 
buildings and benefits for the people, refusing them noth- 
ing in so far as self-sacrifice could supply it for them. In 
1904 his church, and indeed the entire settlement, burned 
to the ground; whereupon the indefatigable pastor erected 
new buildings which were even better than the former. 
Relentless in the pursuit of his God-given cause, his whole 
life being completely buried in his people’s welfare, Pastor 
Ysseldyk labored on until old age overtook the saintly 
hero. Then, with deepest regret, and yet in joyous obe- 
dience, he generously turned over all the fruits and ‘material 
results of his years of service to the priest of our Society 


Ee le 


Spue[s] Ppung 2}}1T 94} 
JO U0I}L}S UOISSIP{ [k1}U9D 94} ‘eUOPN 3e sIOy}OIG pue sjsolIg JO SioJIenbpesy 9y} YIM JedeyD 








Group Showing Our Excellent Native Teachers of the Ndona School 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES © 17 


who was assigned to take his place. When Father Yssel- 
dyk left his mission, he took with him only a few articles 
of clothing which he carried in his suit-case. 

But these acts of noble service and generous relinquish- 
ment were repeated everywhere throughout the Islands of 
Flores and Timor where the Fathers were stationed. 

The story of Father Mathijssen is not dissimilar to 
that of Father Ysseldyk in the way of revealing long years 
of loving toil and service, and in his generous and Chris- 
tian. manner of leaving all that he had worked years to 
build up. 

When our late Msgr. Noyen of revered memory was 
despatched to the Little Sunda Islands, in 1912, he first 
arrived in Batavia (Java), in October of the same year. 
There he met Father Mathijssen, who had been away from 
his mission in Lahurus, for a short time, on account of 
failing health due to long years of labor and fast speeding 
old age. ‘Timor being the first island given over to our 
Fathers, Msgr. Noyen was destined for the parish of Fa- 
ther Mathijssen, and the good priest immediately made 
ready to accompany him. 

When they reached Lahurus station, Father Mathijssen 
showed Msgr. Noyen all his life-work; first, as it lay 
revealed in records, —— the church register, etc., —- and 
then as it appeared in the living evidence he had gathered 
about him, — 2500 Catholic faithful! And lastly, there 
was the church, the residence, three schools, and other 
property appurtenances. With a familiar gesture, the old 
pastor turned to Msgr. Noyen and said, 

‘“‘Now, Msgr. Noyen, you are my superior,” referring, 
of course, to Msgr. Noyen’s appointment; “‘here is your 
rectory, and here are the keys of the little safe. I am at 
your service. Command me as you will.’’ 


78 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Needless to say, this wholly noble attitude of the 
saintly Jesuit Father and pastor moved the new prefect 
profoundly, leaving the deepest impression upon him and 
spurring him to lofty resolutions to see to it that the terri- 
tory newly turned over to him should henceforth be ad- 
ministered in a manner worthy of his eminent predeces- 
sors. 

Although the prefecture was officially given to the 
Fathers of the Society of the Divine Word on the six- 
teenth of September, 1913, yet the oncoming World War, 
in the next year and those immediately to follow, pre- 
vented the sending of Fathers from Europe; so that it was 
impossible for the Society of the Divine Word to assume 
at once full care of the work. “Thereupon a number of 
the Jesuit Fathers remained on Flores and Timor for 
varying periods, working in perfect harmony and in all 
charity with our Fathers, S.V.D., leaving their posts only 
for the new work awaiting them in Java when our So- 
ciety could find a way to assume their duties on these is- 
ilands. ‘Thus it was not until 1921 that the last Jesuit 
Father bade farewell to Flores. In 1913, when the mis- 
sion was formally turned over to our Fathers, the Jesuits 
were able to place in their care 30,700 Christians, 23 
churches and chapels, 12 oratories, 12 day schools, and 
5 boarding-schools. At this time there were 18 Jesuit 
priests on the islands, 12 Brothers, 25 Sisters, 38 teachers, 
and 30 catechists. 

Here the question might arise: But why did the Jes- 
uits leave this prosperous field? His Lordship, Msgr. Luy- 
pens, S.J., vicar apostolic of the Netherlands East Indies, 
lately deceased, gave answer to this query when, after he 
had visited Flores for the last time to confirm the Chris- 
tians, he submitted his report. In this report is to be 
found the following statement: “If I but had a sufficient 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 79 


number of priests to break the bread of life to the people of 
Flores, how would its mountains become mountains of the 
Lord, altars of love, and vestibules of heaven!”’ 

He noted with anxiety that the number of his priests 
on Flores and Timor was continually decreasing through 
sickness and death; and because they were frequently re- 
quired to fill in other places which it was impossible to 
leave empty, he knew also that he could not expect to 
obtain for some time a sufficient number of priests from 
his own Society to meet the work that actually lay waiting 
in this favored mission field. Therefore he promptly 
sought, though not without natural reluctance and tre- 
mendous regret, to have measures taken in Rome, whereby 
a division in his vast jurisdiction might be made, and with 
the Little Sunda Islands, among other regional districts, 
be given over to the care of other worthy missionaries. 

In one passage of a communication, sent to his Fa- 
thers who remained for a time in Flores, to assist our 
Missionaries, S.V.D., Msgr. Luypens said, 

“T was obliged, dear Brethren, through my heart's 
love for Flores, to ask for this division of my ecclesiastical 
charge, in order that Flores might soon become more spir- 
itually prosperous. . . . But I fully realize what this 
means to us all, and I will not and cannot hide the sad- 
ness I feel in the matter. For many decades Flores has 
been our tender child, whom we have nurtured and loved 
with paternal solicitude. And so I now ask: May the 
merciful God bless you who remain for yet a little while 
in your chosen spot, to work with the incoming Fathers 
of the Society of the Divine Word. May the Lord bless 
you and protect Flores and its inhabitants; may He bless 
the Fathers, §.V.D., who are taking over our task. God 
grant that they, being filled with zeal for the salvation of 
these souls, may devote themselves with all their strength 


80 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


and hearts’ desire to the people’s welfare. And finally, 
my dear Brethren, I bid you, give your confidence to the 
new missionaries; show them your love and true obedience, 
as you have always shown them to me.”’ 

Before the Little Sunda Islands mission came into the 
hands of our Fathers for administration, the work had 
necessarily been limited to the eastern and middle sections 
of Flores and to the section of Timor in which were the 
stations of Atapupu and Lahurus: the western section of 
Flores had remained untouched. Today there are through- 
out the wohle vicariate 37 priests under the supervision of 
the vicar apostolic, Right Rev. Arnold Verstraelen, 
S.V.D., and these are assisted by 14 Brothers and 48 Sis- 
ters. On the island of Flores alone there are today prob- 
ably some 430,000 people, of whom 65,000 are Catholics 
and about 50,000 Mohammedans. The whole island is 
easily capable of furnishing food, etc., for at least a mil- 
lion people, and it may be that the actual number of in- 
habitants is even greater than has been stated. 

In the year 1913 there were to be found on the island 
of Timor approximately 2,500 Catholics. By the end of 
1921 the census showed 7,637, while the original two 
mission stations —- Atapupu and Lahurus — were aug- 
mented by two more, namely, Tubakki and Halilulik. In 
the year 1913 there were but three Catholic schools in 
Timor; at present there flourish twenty-two such schools, 
with a total number of pupils exceeding 1,400. “Today 
there are 12,525 Catholics in that part of Timor which 
has been given over by the government to Catholic spirit- 
ual administration. ‘The district contains some 80,000 
inhabitants, while the entire Dutch section numbers about 
120,000 people. ‘The western portion of the Dutch sec- 
tion of Timor is given into the hands of the Protestants 
for evangelization. 


BUOPN ‘SSP[D-SUIMIG B pur “G'dg’g ‘eJOpOsyT “IS 








A Missionary Astride His Native Pony, Ready to Make a Tour of Inspection of His District 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 81 


On the island of Lomblem a good missionary begin- 
ning was made in 1920, by the establishment of a sta- 
tion at Lemalerap, where two mission Fathers are now 
working. The new station already counts 2,100 Chris- 
tians, this number being included in that given for the 
whole of Flores. 

West Flores has recently been opened up as follows: 
the Ndona and Djopu missions have been established in 
the district of Endeh; Toda-Belu and Badjawa, in the 
Ngada district; and finally, Ruteng, in the Manggarai set- 
tlement. Furthermore, to these stations may be added the 
newly erected “‘model’’ stations of Nele, Paga, and Ili, in 
Central Flores. In 1914 the total number of Christians 
on Flores was 30,700 as compared with the present Chris- 
tian population. There are also six times as many schools 
now in operation as were found open in the year 1914. 
This has of course been brought about largely through the 
progressive stand of the government in assisting and en- 
couraging the foundation of new educational centres. 
Eight thousand children are pursuing a three-year gram- 
mar-school course, these children being dispersed among 
eighty schools. ‘To these eighty schools we must add the 
three standard schools, —- one each at Ndona, Lela, and 
Larantuka, —- which we shall have occasion to speak of 
more fully, later. The standard schools are intended to 
supply a special training course for prospective teachers, 
the period of study varying from five to eight years. 

The remaining islands of the Little Sunda group 
have not until very recently received any missionary aid, 
for there have not been priests enough to cover the whole 
field. 

The entire territory of the Netherlands East Indies 
includes a population of some 50 millions, of whom some 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 6 


82 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL © 


35 millions are, in name at least, Mohammedans: there 
are about 150,000 Catholic natives and 35,000 Catholic 
Europeans. ‘The Protestants show that they have in the 
entire archipelago 721,000 members, of whom 66,000 
are Europeans. Says a writer: “It is not the Dutch flag, 
but the missionary flag which I long to see opening to the 
breeze of the tropics. Here lie these fruitful acres under 
the glowing sun. Here swarm these tens of millions of 
brown men, — yellow, if you will, —- waiting to hear 
the Voice than which none other is so sweet.’”? 


1 Frank Mason North, in the World Outlook for Sept., 1915. — 


Ssuoduvy e& JO SeAvIyH SurqOodsul I9}IIM 94} pure UUPMIUY[D “Iq 








A Peep into Nua Lolo, a Hamlet near Ndona 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 83 


CHAPTER X 
At Home With the Natives on Flores 


New sights and new interests — Village life —- Hilltop 
settlements — Side-hill construction — Real architecture 
and the architect (Ata Nggesu) —— General household 
arrangements —- Method tn much of the seeming mad- 
ness of the building construction —- Account for the peo- 
ple themselves —- Comparisons (Qualities and excellen- 
cies) — “The Little Adam and Eve’’ (Creation story). 


I. Vullages 


Everything in connection with the village life of the 
natives of Flores is extremely interesting. It became a 
growing cause of wonderment to me, as | gradually came 
to see that many of their traits, customs, and habits, in- 
stead of manifesting what one might describe as the semi- 
rational attributes of heathenism or the results of pagan 
practices, were frequently truly representative of clever 
and ingenious foresight, and well planned provision to 
meet and secure for them those advantages which appear 
to be most necessary to their state of life. 

For instance, in studying the types of villages we en- 
tered, I soon learned that the original idea was to build 
around a central open space.. But this main principle 
alone results in a variety of types of houses and of villages 
also; because, in the first place, it may be that one single 
great house will be built around such an open space, the 
house being intended to accommodate anywhere from ten 
to seventy families — a regular hotel, you will say. But 
again, it may be that houses for only one family will be 


84 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


built about the central area, and in such a case it is usually 
the rule to find between six and twenty houses clustered 
together, each with its own central space. In some places 
there will be found a large flat stone placed upright and 
occupying a conspicuous space just in front of a house; 
in other cases, one such monument of this sort will be 
guarded by several households with separate dwellings. 
These monuments are really the tombs of family members, 
and it is almost impossible to persuade the natives to move 
away from these formerly chosen and now sacred sites, 
even though the location may prove to be undesirable from 
every point of view; because the people feel it to be in- 
cumbent upon them to guard the tombs of their dead. 

Another most significant and unique feature of the 
original plan for the villages was that they were to be 
built upon the hilltops, or at least high up on the sides of 
the mountains. ‘To be sure, when one stops to think, the 
reason for this is obvious. Formerly there was continuous 
warfare between the tribes, and it was never possible for 
any man to feel even comparatively safe except within his 
own more or less inaccessible village. 

Very, very many of these hilltop villages remain, in 
spite of the efforts of the government to dislodge them. But 
they make the processes of civilization and Christianiza- 
tion, in such sections, extremely arduous and slow, be- 
cause it is necessary for a visitor, if he would approach 
these people, to make up his mind that he must engage in 
one long series of ascents and descents —— each time climb- 
ing up sometimes a thousand feet or more to visit a com- 
munity of perhaps only a few families, and then being 
obliged to climb down again, frequently through a sort of 
jungle-tangle, before he can ascend to another settlement. 
But when one of these mountain-top hamlets is reached, 
the traveler is well rewarded for his pains, from an esthetic 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 85 


standpoint, for these communities are indeed fair to be- 
hold, sometimes situated in the very midst of a beautiful 
bamboo grove. The bamboo is used for building, and the 
surrounding cluster is always available for further dwell- 
ings and serves as a protection against the wind storms. 
But when there is no level spot of ground to be found 
on the hilltop, or when the houses are built upon the sides 
of the mountains, they have a specially interesting method 
to secure a level ground-base for each dwelling. They do 
not cut into the side of a hill, as is often found to be the 
case in the loess districts in Kansu, Mongolia, and the Ili 
districts of China; neither do they build adobe fashion, 
as is found in other parts of China and often in the older 
Indian settlements of the Americans; but a vertical breast- 
work of small and large stones is built up, until a per- 
fectly level area, of whatever size may be desired, is secured. 
On this level stone parapet, as it were, the house is built. 
Frequently one finds a hillside with houses perched here 
and there, each one built upon such a separate foundation, 
with a winding road leading from house to house. In this 
way the natives secure an excellent drainage. 
| Thus it happens that there is usually no regular forma- 
tion for the villages — no main street with houses lined 
up on either side, although such villages are now to be 
found along the coast and in the plains where the govern- 
ment has had a hand in the matter, or where the mission- 
aries have themselves labored with the people to build up 
convenient parish centers. Many of the older villages pos- 
sess a Sao-Keda ( little temple), and this is situated usually 
in the midst of beautiful surroundings. 


II. Houses 


Although there is a general principle according to 
which all the houses are built, and although a so-called 


86 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


architect’ is always engaged to superintend the work, ex- 
tended sometimes to periods of a year and a half, yet there 
is a most interesting variety and architectural difference of 
appearance between the houses. Some are built on the 
plan of a square, some are circular in construction, and 
others still, particularly the larger houses, are built upon 
a rectangular foundation. In accordance with the differ- 
ence in fundamental construction, the high roofs take on 
various shapes and. decidedly picturesque types of con- 
struction: some are cone-like, some hay-mow style, others 
look like an elongated straw heap in a Middle-West barn- 
yard, and again others appear in formation very much like 
the galvanized iron smoke screen one frequently sees above 
the range in a restauranteur’s or baker’s kitchen. 

As to the space plan, the house proper is usually built 
upon long stone blocks taken from the mountains, al- 
though sometimes wooden props or piles are used; the 
first floor is approached by a flight of steps. “There is a 
central square, or core, of the building, and around this 
are arranged various compartments, provided according 
to the number of wives of one householder. Each family 
or each wife possesses a separate compartment and a sep- 
arate hearth. Outside these compartments runs a veranda, 
which is of considerable width only in front of the house. 
At night the household arrangements are such that the 
old men, young girls and little children sleep in the central 
square, or core, of the building. Each family has its own 
little chamber for wife and husband, and the young men 
sleep outside on the veranda (tenda). From nightfall un- 
til daybreak it is positively forbidden for the young men 
to enter the house. It will be of interest to mention in this 








1 The Ata Neagesu (architect) usually receives, as wages for 
the entire period of construction, about 14 earrings, 5 teeth of a lit- 
tle elephant, and a buffalo (carabao). 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 87 


place that a rather elaborately carved box is often to be 
found on a veranda. In this are contained the bones of 
some dead member of the family, whose grave was ex- 
humed for this purpose and for the sake of the buried 
valuables, a year after interment. 

The hearthstone is simply three stones with a covering 
of ashes. The hearth is surrounded by four upright poles 
supporting a framework over the fire, upon which things 
may be placed for warming or cooking. ‘There are no 
chimneys, and the smoke has to escape as best it may 
through the upper portions of the building. 

However, the extremely tall roofs without chimneys 
by no means present merely indications of whimsical, 
frenzied, or fanatical aberration. ‘They are built as they 
are with a distinct purpose in view. In the first place, the 
houses have also to serve as storerooms for the people; 
all their vegetables, corn, rice, etc., must be stored within, 
and all is hauled aloft with ropes: therefore it is necessary 
that the roofs should be commodious. They are made tall 
in order to prevent the encroachments of mice, vermin, 
and insects; and they are made chimney-less in order that 
_ the smoke from the hearths below may ascend and become 
exceedingly thick above, thus driving out all creatures 
that may possibly endanger the stored-away material. 

The floors are made of bamboo strips and therefore 
permit all dirt and refuse to pass through to the ground 
plot below; otherwise, the houses are never swept or 
cleaned. Whatever passes from the floor above is disposed 
of by goats and pigs which are housed below. The eaves 
serve at night as roosts for the chickens; here they find 
the air cooler and freer from mosquitoes and other pests. 

For the building of the houses, the men supply the 
timber, the women, the bamboo and grass for the roofs. 
Not a carpenter’s tool, not a nail or a bolt is used in the 


88 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


entire building; it is made entirely of timber, bamboo, and 
grass. Only the natives’ cleaver, a cross between a broad-. 
sword and a hatchet, is used to split the timber, make the 
boards and plane them. When the time comes for the 
first official occupation of a house, a great feast is prepared. 


III. People: Origin and Type 


After my first trip abroad with the Fathers, I felt liter- 
ally confused with an immense and complex mass of new 
considerations that I found gradually creeping into con- 
sciousness. The marvel that I felt in it all was the rec- 
ognition that these facts that were being gained were es- 
sentially human facts: it was merely a matter of coming 
to know more and more about God’s people. In the quiet 
of the evening we sat talking and meditating at intervals. 
My thoughts were constantly summoning up questions, 
and I found the Fathers ever ready with their answers and 
amplifications to help out my slowly dawning apprehen- 
sion about many, many things. In the first place, I was 
thoroughly moved at the thought of how decidedly pro- 
vincial and narrow the great hosts of our people of the 
Western civilization really are. Then questions of race 
and origin arose, mingled with another much greater ques- 
tion which is now pressing on every side concerning future 
inter-national and inter-racial relations. Finally, I asked 
the assembly in general: ‘““‘Well, who and what are these 
people of Flores, anyway; whence did they first come: 
what is their place among the. peoples of the earth, and 
what is likely to be their final destiny?”’ 

For a moment there was no answer; then Frater Buis 
gave the following satisfactory response: 

“These people, Father, evidently belong to the great 
Malay group, although their racial characteristics have 
doubtless been considerably modified through Papuan and 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 89 


Polynesian influence. Again, colonizing influences have 
inevitably set their mark upon the natives, and this is 
especially to be noted in certain sections —— for instance, 
you will be sure to observe the distinction between many 
of the people of East Flores and those of the Middle and 
Western sections; in Larantuka quite a large minority of 
the inhabitants are what is known as Black Portuguese. 
But where the Malay strain is pure, a distinctly superior 
type of the Papuan or mixed classes is to be found. The 
Malays are of splendid physique and are very attractive. 
Alas, this is so true that their charm has fatally allured 
many a European, and the result shows here and there 
among the people. The manners and gestures of these 
natives are artless and easy; their way of speaking, calm 
and gentle; their skin is smooth and of a slightly brownish 
or yellowish tinge; the eyes, are clear and penetrating, 
have a lustre all their own, while the slightly flattened 
noses are not at all unbecoming. Their glossy black hair 
and pearly teeth, always visible under smiling lips, make 
these Malays beautiful even in an American estimate of 
_ beauty. The Papuans are robust; the outstanding muscles 
of their arms and chests manifest the strength at their com- 
mand. Often somewhat rough, indulging freely in loud 
talking and hearty laughter, yet they are free and easy in 
their motions and are passionately fond of music and 
dancing. 

“But Father,” the young man continued, “would it 
not be well for you to have an original account from the 
people themselves concerning their origin? Fantastic and 
grotesque as it may appear, yet you will gain from it a 
real insight into their humanity, as well as suggestions 
of cosmological knowledge, which all the races of the 
earth seem to share in common. With your permission, I 
will relate to you one of the creation stories which certain 


90 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


of the natives love to tell.”’ 

Of course, I was delighted to have the opportunity 
to get to the heart of the people through their legends, so 
I begged the young Frater to give the story as nearly after 
the manner of their own recounting as possible. 


The Little Adam and Eve 
“The natives of Daweh-Ngada tell this: 


Once upon a time there was a village wherein many 
people dwelt. The name of the village and of the in- 
habitants is unknown. Upon a certain occasion two of 
the village children, brother and sister, went out to pluck 
mangoes. A boar and one pig appeared, and the boar 
immediately attempted to secure and eat up the fruit. But 
the little pig also wished the mango. Now the boar be- 
came very angry because of this, and at once began to beat 
the little one severely. Then, behold! to the intense sur- 
prise of the children, the little pig began to speak and to 
answer its parent, using the language and gestures of a 
man. 

“Why, mother, should we quarrel, when, within a 
week hence, all will perish on earth? For there is certainly 
to come the crack of doom.”’ 

But the brother and sister breathlessly broke in: 

“Sure this cannot be true?”’ 

‘Indeed it is true,’’ replied the little pig; ‘‘be sure to 
make for yourselves a little sampan (boat), for the waters 
will rise upon the earth and all beasts and all mankind 
will be drowned.” 

So the brother and sister hastened away to the village, 
and there told the ancients all that they had heard. But 
the City Fathers only laughed indulgently at the tale, and 
refused to give it any credence. However, the brother and 
sister went quietly about their business, and proceeded 
to construct for themselves a tight little boat. 

Upon the seventh night the deluge came. All the 
people at once thronged about the little sampan which the 
boy and girl had made. But there was place for the two 
children only, so they struck out at the people with their 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 91 


oars, and sailed away, leaving the rest of the inhabitants 
to their fate. 

For seven days the waters rose, until at last they well- 
nigh touched the heavens. “Thereupon the heavens opened, 
and Tuwan? Allah (God) appeared and spoke to the chil- 
dren: : 
‘“‘Ashes I will give you, my children; and you shall 
scatter them abroad over all the waters; and the waters 
shall descend and the ashes will settle upon the earth, — 
upon the fields and valleys, and upon all the mountain 
heights, —- and from them will spring up living creatures 
— cows and horses, and goats and all cattle; corn and 
grass, and every other good thing upon the earth.”’ 

At this moment there fell into the sampan from the 
heavens a handful of ashes. 

So the children obeyed Tuwan Allah, and did what 
he told them to do; and the waters began to cease, and at 
last disappeared; and lo, the land appeared again and the 
ashes settled abroad upon it; then came forth all the beasts 
of the earth, and everything required for food, and all 
kinds of growing and creeping things: all came to pass, 
just as Tuwan Allah had promised. 

But there was not a human soul upon the earth, save 
the boy and the girl when they alighted from their sam- 
pan: so they became the first people of the earth. 

But they were guileless and utterly ignorant of the 
ways of man. So the great Tuwan Allah proceeded to in- 
struct them, and he showed them the ways of life, reveal- 
ing all to them through many lessons drawn from nature. 
‘Then, in time, they were married, and twins were born to 
them. 

In the course of time the twins were married; and 
twins were born to them also. Thus it happened with 
the sons of men through seven generations. But after 
that time, the great Tuwan Allah appeared and declared 
that never again should the sons of men marry the daugh- 
ters of men of near relation, lest great wrong and travail 
should come upon the earth. But some were ignorant of 
this decree, and these proceeded to marry as had been the 


2 Tuwan = lord, gentleman; sir. 


92 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


custom of earlier times. But their offspring were devils, 
and they began to spread all manner of trouble and pesti- 
lence and vice abroad among the children of men. “Thus 
came personal evil into the world, and thus the world has 
continued since that time, to multiply and increase upon 
the face of the earth and to contend continually between 
the forces of good and evil.”’ 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 93 


GHAP TERG XL 
The Hope of Flores and Timor 


A trip to Kotta — The sacred waringa tree — Exorcism 

of evil spirits attendant upon birth —- Grandparents’ 

claims to first-born — Love of offspring —- Unreason in 

affection — A visit to the chief —- We learn of Keli — 

No orphans — Poor Li an exception to the rule — Early 
training of children. 


On February 22 Father Preissler invited us to take a 
trip to Kotta, which is a rather large village situated in 
the highlands. The journey itself was exhilarating, with 
its continual ascent and consequent change of air and of 
scenic interests; besides, on these trips to and fro I was fast 
securing rich stores of both general and rare missionary in- 
formation from the Fathers; for the very fact of traveling 
over familiar ground with us seemed naturally to open up 
the wellspring of their experiences, and induced them to 
advise us beforehand, about the many incidents and actual 
experiences which were likely to be ours in the day’s in- 
spection tour. 

For instance, as we approached Kotta at a distance, 
our attention was attracted to a large tree which we were 
told distinctly marked the village site. Before we reached 
the tree (a waringa, a kind of fig tree which looks like a 
banyan), we had learned all about it. It is a sacred re- 
ceptacle of natal trophies, which are deposited in its 
crotches or among the densely entangled branches by the 
ata mati, a pagan priest or sorcerer, immediately after the 
birth of a child in the village. The tree has thus served as 
a sort of sacred repository for a thousand years or more. 


94 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


All the accompaniments of birth, which the priest thus 
carries away with him and disposes of, are supposed to be 
animated by a distinct spirit. After he has deposited the 
effects within the tree, the priest-sorcerer conjures this 
spirit to depart into the nether world and in nowise to 
molest or harass the new-born babe. 

Thus, on our trips among the missions, we were able 
to learn more and more about the characteristic traits and 
customs of the people of Flores, particularly such as:are 
most significant of the critical periods of life. Father 
Preissler told of many circumstances, suppositional and 
otherwise, which regularly attend a birth among the na- 
tives, and spoke of the means used to overcome many of 
the difficulties involved. 

The spirits of evil, it seems, are decidedly averse to the 
birth of a child in the community; and especially unfavor- 
able are those spirits that may have been successfully in- 
voked by the inhabitants of enemy camps, villages, or 
tribes. ‘“[herefore, every precaution is used to prevent the 
evil beings from knowing about prospective births, partic- 
ularly when it is hoped that there will be a newcomer in 
the family of the king or any one of the chiefs of separated 
villages. At the time the birth is expected, the men of the 
household and of the village gather about the dwelling, 
standing close together before the entrance; and there 
they keep an incessant ‘‘pboo, pboo, pboo,”’ at the same 
time making little darting thrusts outward, in order to 
circumvent any attempt of the spirit to enter the abode 
for the purpose of investigation. This protective guard is 
often maintained for hours and even days. But when it 
is announced that a child is indeed born, the guard breaks 
up at once and proceeds to rejoice over the accomplished 
event; for it is evident that all has come to pass without 
the spirits’ being aware of it, and it is now confidently ex- 


S210[ J Ul [[VI-HOIG ve SuLeaMsuYy 








Famous Waringa Tree — Holy Place for the Deposit of the Afterbirth and the Offering of 
Sacrifices 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 95 


pected that, having become one among the living, no ex- 
ceptional dangers are to be apprehended for the child -—— at 
least, none other than those commonly acknowledged as 
accompanying the ordinary conditions of human life. | 

It appears that ancient custom decrees that the first- 
born of a young couple belongs by right to the grand- 
‘parents, and in order to overrule this right, the parents 
are obliged to bestow upon their forebears many valuable 
gifts before they can actually secure to themselves the priv- 
ilege of retaining the child for themselves. 

It is considered to be of the greatest advantage to ob- 
tain the blessing of the local. spirits upon the children, and 
sacrificial pillars are found set up almost everywhere; and 
here newly married women offer their gifts and implore 
the blessings of a numerous family. 

Boys, to be sure, are preferred to girls; but once the 
family prestige has become assured through the birth of 
two or more boys, girls also are frankly welcomed, es- 
pecially in view of the fact of their future value. For it 
is the custom among these people that the girl, instead of 
taking a dowry with her to her husband, shall become the 
means of securing to her parents a highly acceptable dowry 
(in reality, a purchase price) from the husband-to-be. 

Infanticide or the exposing of children to the elements 
is entirely unheard of. It sometimes occurs, however, that 
children are given over to grandparents, or to uncles and 
aunts, to be brought up; but in such instances the parents 
are careful to see that no harm comes to them. 

Upon first thought, some might be led to think that 
these more or less free children of nature could hardly be 
expected to have a love of offspring in any way to compare 
with our own affections for our children; but the sup- 
position is entirely incorrect. Many of the modern women 
of our Western civilization, now engaged in pressing to 


96 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


extremes every claimed right of what they call emancipa- 
tion, might learn many a serious and wholesome lesson 
from some of these pagan mothers on Flores. ‘Their de- 
votion to their young is passionate and is noticeably ex- 
pressed, sometimes in a manner quite beyond belief. As 
we passed through the village, we observed here and there 
a young mother sitting at her spinning wheel with a babe 
on her bosom or on a mat by her side. In every instance 
I noticed that, at the slightest sign from the child, it was 
picked up and nursed, or fondled and caressed or laid in 
a more comfortable position, as the need seemed to re- 
quire. 

At length we approached the house of one, Woka 
by name, who is a good friend of the Fathers. As illus- 
trative of the extremes to which at times parental love will 
carry the people in their intense desire to keep their chil- 
dren by them, Father Preissler told us the sad story of 
Wea, Woka’s daughter. The child was taken sick with 
dysentery, which is common enough in these parts, and 
is scarcely ever fatal or even dangerous if properly cared for 
in time. On the other hand it is obvious that, with the 
ordinary care which the natives give to such matters, 
fatalities will generally occur. Hearing of the trouble, the 
missionary went to the house and asked the parents to give 
the child into his hands, in order that he might take her to 
the hospital at Endeh where she would at once receive 
proper medical care. But the parents were simply unable 
to tolerate the thought of having the child away from 
them. ‘The missionary called the second day, and this 
time warned the parents of the probable consequences if 
the child were not to be given proper treatment in suitable 
surroundings. But the only response was a protest from 
the mother, which was repeated to him, over and over 
again: ‘The child was born in this house, and was nursed 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 97 


in my arms; in this house it shall die, and in my own 
arms.’ For four days in succession the missionary went to 
the parents and asked for the child; but he came away each 
time with the same fruitless result. At last the child’s 
condition became such that the parents knew that the 
worst was to be expected. Then they implored the mis- 
sionary to take the child, but now their appeal was with- 
out avail; for the missionary knew that the child must 
die, and that he would certainly be blamed for the death, 
if it occurred when the child was in his possession. In 
answer to the re-iterated beseeching: ““Tuwan, take my 
child with you,” the reply came, firm and decisive: ‘‘Alas, 
it is too late; I cannot now take your child: for it is cer- 
tain to die.”’ | 

The morning after, the child was reported dead, but 
was found not to be so. However, the poor mother, now 
drowned in grief, looked upon her daughter as lost, and 
began to tear her hair and rend her garments. But the 
priest admonished her that such manifestations of anguish 
in the presence of the child, who was yet alive, were really 
cruel to the sufferer; and at last the mother was persuaded 
to desist. “Thereupon the child, who was baptized, began 
to console and to pray for the grief-stricken parent. After 
the little one came actually to die, the mother gave full 
vent to her sorrow, mourning and wailing for her daugh- 
ter for forty-eight hours, without eating or sleeping. 


After paying our respects to the family of Woka, 
we crossed over to the other side of the open place about 
which the houses were situated, going to salute the vil- 
lage chief, Bale Lolo, in his home. We found him seated 
on his veranda, and he at once arose to greet us kindly. 
I understood it to be the proper thing to flatter him some- 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 7 


98 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


what, and proceeded (with Father Preissler, of course, 
officiating as interpreter) to compliment him rather ef- 
fusively upon the fine location of the village, the fine 
houses, and the attractive and hospitable residents. He 
was evidently well accustomed to such conversation, for 
he frankly turned and laughed at me, giving me at the 
same time a decidedly confidential look, as if to say, 
“‘We're both in on this game, together, my friend.’’ But, 
when all is said and done, Bale Lolo is a staunch ally of 
the missionaries, and at his house catechism is taught every 
evening. His children are all baptized, and his only son, 
a boy of ten years, named Keli, attends the boarding- 
school at Ndona. He is the idol of his mother, who 
watches over this future chief of the village with truly 
maternal care. If perchance she learns that Keli has a 
slight fever while in the school residence, she at once hast- 
ens to Ndona and, unaware of the necessity for any regu- 
lations concerning her approach to her own son, proceeds 
to his bedside, and patiently waits there, with fond love 
in her eyes, until he recovers. Whenever she chances to 
pass the institute, on her way to and from the market or 
garden, she is certain to cry aloud his name, — ‘‘Kelt, 
Keli!’’; whereupon the fact of his mother’s presence is 
immediately carried to him, by one pupil or another, and 
he at once runs to greet her and to receive from her, per- 
haps, a banana or a cocoanut, or some mangoes or other 
fruit. Here it may be noted that the people of the Little 
Sunda Islands never embrace when they meet, neither do 
they know what it is to kiss. The mere fact of approach 
and nearness, seems to be all-sufficient as a form of greet- 
ing and of expressing joy at the presence of another. Very, 
very frequently they even refrain from speaking. But the 
facts only go the more to show the real depth of affection 
that exists among the people. 


“Ty apisaq payees St o}TIOALJ OUT “SPATM PAT STH YA (sero]y) ear(peg JO BUI CML 


OVI ee se New 


a 





OO 





eRe et tn api nei ona Oa ON SeSNEN USS EERO 


Ngada (Flores) Women, Spinning Yarn, Drawing the Thread, and Weaving 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 99 


Of course, Bale Lolo did not upon this occasion fail 
to praise his son; and at the very beginning of his remarks 
upon this subject, the mother made her appearance behind 
her husband, and corroborated all his sayings, with her 
bland and comprehensive smiles. 

Indeed, the love for children is universal — by parents, 
grandparents, relatives, and friends; everywhere they are 
received with blessings. Although in theory it is possible, 
evidently, for orphans to exist on Flores, as anywhere else, 
yet, as a matter of fact, they are not to be found. Ifa 
child’s parents die, he is at once taken into the home of his 
grandparents, or his aunts or uncles. The child refers to 
his guardians as his parents, and it becomes a real puzzle 
to know whether they are the parents indeed, or merely 
foster-parents. 

Because it was, as the missionary said, an exception 
heretofore unheard of (and one that has never to this day 
been truly accounted for), I will relate a story about a 
child (Li we called him) whose experience was entirely 
unfortunate and distressing. 
| The child was born in this village of Kotta, in 1916. 

In 1918, during the epidemic of the ‘‘flu,’’ both parents 
died, and the child was taken by his grandparents. But 
in some manner the child fell into disfavor in the house- 
hold, and was forced to leave his new home at the age of 
but four years. For some time he wandered about the vil- 
lage, at first finding ample food here and there. The nights 
he spent in clumps of the tall grass which grow over the 
mountain-side upon which Kotta is built. Thus the poor 
child existed for a while. Then the dry season came and 
food grew scarce, which forced him to wider ventures 
abroad. At last he wandered to Ndona, and there, to his 
utter amazement, discovered our more or less modern 
settlement. His surprise grew ever more intense as he 


100 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


heard the shoutings of the children and looked upon them 
in their play about the school buildings, during recess. 
The dear child could not, for his life, get over the sight; 
and so he sat down on a stone by the riverside, and there, 
like the captive Israelites of old, wept pitifully, as the 
fervent longings of his little heart swelled up, causing the 
tears to course down his skinny cheeks, and over his little 
stomach which protruded overmuch from his ill-feeding 
of bananas and other watery substances. Why, oh why, 
his little soul questioned, could he not be happy and live 
as these children were living? And at last he made up 
his mind that he would no more return to his village, but 
would stay in this place —- would find shelter and food 
and sleep here, somehow and somewhere. 

Then the schoolboys discovered him. At once their 
hearts were moved to pity when they saw how thin the 
lad was; and they gave him a few grains of corn to eat, 
even asking him to sit with them by their fireside; but 
they didn’t dare to tell the missionary of his presence, for 
he was but four years old, and theirs was a standard school 
for big lads only! However, it was hopeless to think that 
the child could remain hidden. ‘The rector soon found 
him out, and at once allowed the boys to relate his story, 
as far as they knew it. But the problem then arose con- 
cerning the way to provide for the child. As has been 
said, there is no home for destitute children on Flores, for, 
as a rule, there are no such children; yet, here was a child 
for which the term destitute would surely fit. The supe- 
rior, Father deLange, was at once informed of the little 
visitor, and he immediately decided that provision should 
be made in some manner for this child to remain at Ndona. 
So there he stayed, and after a while recovered full 
strength. After two years Li was baptized, and he is now 
an exceptional pupil of the school; he gives remarkable 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 101 


evidences of a fine mind, of true piety, and an excellent 
memory. There are hopes of his some day becoming a 
priest! He is now in the third grade. 

On our way back to Ndona we passed the house of the 
grandparents of Li. We were told that the old man had 
come just once to the institute, to demand the boy, claim- 
ing him as his grandchild. But when the rector sternly 
reproved him for his disgraceful and most unseemly neg- 
lect of the child, the old man slunk away, in utter shame 
and confusion, and has never since made his appearance 
at the school. 

“However, Father Preissler told us, ‘‘the parents’ 
love for their children hardly extends to the matter of 
providing for them a thorough-going education, since, 
having had no education themselves, they are not aware of 
the need of it. But with love to guard and guide them, 
they do not by any means grow up in a wild manner, but 
rather in the surroundings and influences which nature 
provides; that is, nature as interpreted from the standpoint 
of God — developing in them its own sweetest and dearest 
traits. “Ihe temperature,’’ Father continued, “‘is so con- 
genial that the little ones run about entirely unclothed, 
and they are quite unrestrained, and at liberty to squeal 
and cry as do the little domestic pigs which run about with 
them. But it must be admitted that such training, or 
rather lack of it, tends to make them headstrong; for the 
mother constantly endures all their little caprices of impa- 
tience and obstinacy, and thus self-discipline is for them, 
during childhood days, almost an unknown quality. 

“However, it is wrong to say that no training what- 
ever goes along with their child-life. When the little one 
is scarcely two years old, it goes out to the gardens with 
the mother, and soon learns with her to pluck out the 
weeds or to gather in the fruits, or even to feed and watch 


102 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the chickens, the pigs, and other creatures belonging to the 
family. Moreover, children very early learn to cook corn 
and rice and to prepare their own meals. It is sometimes 
a cause of wonderment to a visitor to see how competent 
the little folk assist the mother in preparing food and 
attending to the lesser duties of the household. ‘Thus, 
lack of discipline, together with a sense of growing com- 
petence, leads to a spirit of freedom and independence 
which has both its advantages and disadvantages. 

“But very little or nothing in the way of morals is 
taught, with the exception of certain prohibitions which 
would result disastrously for the peace of the family and 
would be considered an intrusion upon the rights of others. 
They are soon warned, also, of certain spirits of evil which 
must be appeased. 

“As the children come to the full age of youth, their 
life continues on, much the same, up to the time when 
marriage is considered for them. Before this, they work 
and play, generally quite in dependence upon the mother, 
and for the most part with a fair show of obedience to 
her. The boys, naturally, continue to grow more indepen- 
dent, while the girls are more carefully sheltered and 
guarded from every ill. Both boys and girls show a will- 
ingness to work which is truly remarkable for tropical 
countries. On market days they are always ready to as- 
sume a share of the burdens, while the married men are 
always a bit inclined to shirk. Asa matter of course, the 
women shoulder all the heavier loads, just as they assume 
most of the drudgery at home. This is not exclusively 
because the men are lazy, but rather because of custom; 
certain labors are considered unbecoming to the sterner sex. 

‘Girls generally appear dressed, after the second year, 
but the boys go about naked until the tenth and often 
up to the thirteenth or fourteenth year. However, if a 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 103 


child belongs to a wealthy household, he wears the na- 
tive attire at an early age; for clothing is looked upon as 
a sign of wealth.” 

All these details of life and of the truly human element 
running through the daily interests and ways of the people 
were of the greatest interest to us; for we felt that, with 
our growing knowledge, we were constantly coming into 
closer human touch with, and sympathetic understanding 
of, these mission friends. 


104 -ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XII 


Courtship and Marriage on Flores: 


Another sidetrip (to. Nua Wati) — Of the chewing.of the 
betel — Love tokens (favorable and unfavorable) — A 
young gitl’s preparation for the marriage (tortures.of teeth 
filing) —— All soctal and political life largely bound up 


in marriage considerations —- A bride-to-be —- Descrip- 
tian of the betel-nut tree —- Contentment of married 
women — Status and responsibilities of married women. 


It is hardly necessary to say that my trip to Kotta only 
whetted my appetite for more first-hand knowledge of 
these people. The day before, I had learned many things 
about birth and childhood. I desired next to glean some 
knowledge of the period of courtship and of the married 
state following. ‘Therefore I prevailed upon Frater Buis, 
this morning, the twenty-third, to pilot me to another 
village in which paganism still held sway: for I realized 
that we were in the midst of what was yet a mountainous 
section of thoroughgoing pagan ways. The Frater gen- 
erously consented to go with me, and we decided to make 
the village of Nua Wati our destination. The walk was 
a bit difficult, with a rather steep ascent all the way; but I 
was confident that our efforts would be more than re- 
warded through contacts made with the people. The 
Frater confided to me that he had particularly chosen this 
village because he knew there a_ bride-just-about-to-be. 
As he went on with his conversation I was much sur- 
prised to learn how very seriously the matter of marriage 
is considered by the natives, and with what peculiar and 
even terrible customs they surround the whole event. One 
may almost say that the chief interests, differences, and 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 105 


contentions of life among the people center about mar- 
riage’. As children are greatly beloved and treasured in 
their households, the greatest care and circumspection at- 
tends all that has to do with marriage and the giving in 
marriage. For all that, the selling of a daughter in mar- 
riage tends to become, even far beyond the questions of 
fitness and propriety, a matter of ability on the part of 
a young man or his parents to meet the material demands 
of the parents of the girl in the way of payment. Until 
boys and girls become of marriageable age, they scarcely 
ever partake of the national delicacy —— the chewing of 
the betel nut; but when this time comes, this chewing of 
the betel nut becomes an essentially significant feature, 
denoting the favorable or unfavorable progress of a suit 
for marriage. For instance, when a young man decides 
that he would like to have a certain maiden for his bride, 
he proceeds to her home; and there, in the presence of the 
family, he makes the girl an offering of betel nuts. If 
she accepts, it is a favorable sign for the young man, who 
immediately proceeds to await further developments. 
‘Thereupon the girl begins to prepare the betel and to chew 
it. When the entire preparation (concocted of an ad- 
mixture of lime and betel) has been thoroughly masti- 
cated in the mouth of the young woman, until a sufficient- 
ly compact mass is the result, she removes the substance 
and offers it to the young man. This is the longed-for 
signal of high favor and of his acceptability in the sight 
of the maiden. As a return courtesy, the suitor proceeds 
to make a homogeneous admixture of betel in his own 
mouth and to subsequently offer it to the girl. This is 
established before all the household as a certain distinct 


1 As a matter of fact, it often happens’ (in the Ndona district, 
and in other sections) that a girl is sold in marriage while she is yet 
an infant, or even before she is born! 


106 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


evidence of mutual confidence and complacency, which 
positively indicates the beginning of a legitimate courtship. 
But these ceremonious visits are required to go on, daily, 
for several months; and meantime the opportunity 1s af- 
forded to all to note whether the course of true love runs 
smoothly, and whether the signs of mutual attachment 
seem to wear well. The parents of the girl also take 
careful note of manifestations of generosity on the part 
of the youth, such as are to be observed in the extent and 
quality of the daily gifts which he brings into the home. 
But after things have proceeded sufficiently to warrant the 
parents in taking the next step, negotiations are entered 
upon in earnest, in order to come to an agreement concern- 
ing the price to be paid for the girl. If this matter is 
satisfactorily concluded, the bride-to-be begins to submit 
to a series of peculiar and really shocking preparations for 
marriage, —- preparations which must be performed on 
her by others. First her teeth, every one of them, must be 
filed in front and back and from above, until both thinned 
and shortened, and sometimes actually filed close to the 
gums. his operation is, of course, unspeakably painful, 
especially in view of the fact that the only instruments 
used for perpetrating this torture are such utensils as are 
afforded by hard and sharp rocks and shells and the like. 
Generally the girl is held by two persons, while a third 
performs the required dental alterations. Frequently the 
teeth are so filed away that the woman is, for six to eight 
weeks after, made utterly incapable of masticating her 
food, so that this performance is done for her by the hus- 
band. On the other hand, all other portions of the girl’s 
body are decorated and embellished in the most splendidly 
attractive (!) manner. 

The father of the girl is responsible for the wedding 
festival, but the relatives of the young man must furnish 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 107 


the meat, rice, corn, and everything that goes to make the 
banquet. In addition, the girl expects a large piece of 
good cloth, earrings, armbands, and spirals for the lower 
legs. These spirals are of thin bands of gold or other 
metal, which increase in width as they ascend. 

On the day set, the bridegroom, with his parents, 
relatives, and notables from the village, proceed to the 
house of the bride, who stands at the door awaiting them. 
On coming near, the bridegroom halts and takes a rest; the 
troop begin to sing, reciting all the virtues and prowess of 
the bridegroom, to the admiration and joy of the bride. 
Then, among other ceremonies, the bride is given to the 
bridegroom, and the marriage is complete. After some 
days of feasting the new life begins. 

These are some of the customs and ceremonies attend- 
ant upon the marriage. But as is the case in many quarters 
of the globe, where civilization is supposed to be greatly 
advanced beyond the Oriental conditions here described 
for the Little Sunda Islands, the course of true love is by 
no means guaranteed to run smoothly after the marriage 
tie is contracted. It may be that the husband has other 
Wives, or that in course of time, he proposes to secure 
others; frequently such a state of affairs is found to be 
decidedly unsatisfactory to the bride in question. Or, it 
may become merely a case of ‘incompatibility of temper- 
ament,’ to use the term so often disgracefully recorded in 
our own Western divorce courts. At any rate, the fact is 
that brides sometimes desert their husbands and run away 
to the homes of their parents. This verifies my former 
statement, that a large proportion of life’s chief interests 
among these people centers about questions concerning 
marriage. Of course, when a bride runs home, the husband 
is certain to go to the parents and claim his wife; and, fail- 
ing to make his claim good, to demand his money back, — 


108 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


that is to say, the return of the collateral offered for the 
woman, — or murder will follow. Thus arise all! sorts 
of contentions and disagreements, lawsuits, and tribal 
feuds; and thus it comes to pass that upon the happy set- 
tlement of all marriage concerns, depends the whole seren- 
ity of a people and the whole integrity of their develop- 
ment as a growing nation. 

But meantime we had arrived at the village, and Frater 
Buis lost no time in presenting me to the young damsel. 
She had known the Frater for some time, so she proceeded 
to greet us with a hearty laugh, which manner of recog- 
nition among ordinary acquaintances seems to be quite 
common everywhere. In this instance the laugh afforded 
me the gratifying opportunity for which the missionary 
had prepared me: | mean that I had a chance to get a good 
look into her mouth. | assure you that the view was any- 
thing but attractive. First, the lips and gums were all 
swollen from the recent operation upon the teeth; then, 
the teeth themselves presented the appearance of an old 
picket fence in miniature; again, the mouth in front was 
colored a most repugnant red, from the chewing of the 
betel-nut, of which I must tell you more presently; finally, 
the back portions of the mouth appeared like a great yawn- 
ing cavern of dense blackness. I realize that the descrip- 
tion is odious, but perhaps it is justified in this instance. 

Here I will for a moment digress from the subject in 
hand, to tell you about the betel nut — the delicacy of 
the country. It is the fruit of a tall, slender, and extremely 
graceful palm, the areca catechu. The trunk is usually 
only six to eight inches in diameter, but the sheaf of green 
leaves that springs out of its top is thirty or forty feet from 
the ground. This tree grows all over tropical India, and 
the whole archipelago, including the Philippines. Its 
Malay name is pinang. In nearly all the large islands it 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST. INDIES 109 


has a different name, an indication that it is indigenous. 
In Javanese it is called yambi. In favorable situations 
this tree begins to bear when it is six years old, and gener- 
ally yields about a hundred nuts in a loose, conical ciuster. 
Each nut, when ripe, is the size of a small egg and is of 
a bright yellow hue. The yellow skin encloses a husk, 
and within this husk is a small spherical nut, closely resem- 
bling a nutmeg, very hard and tough. It is chewed with 
a green leaf of the siri. The mode of preparing this morsel 
for use is very simple; a small quantity of lime as large as 
a pea is placed on a piece of the nut, and enclosed in a 
leaf of sirt. The roll is taken between the thumb and fore- 
finger, and rubbed violently against the front gums, while 
the teeth are closed firmly, and the lips opened widely. It 
is chewed for a moment, and then held between the teeth 
and lips, so as partly to protrude from the mouth. A pro- 
fusion of red, brick-colored saliva now pours out of each 
corner of the mouth while the man is exerting himself at 
his oar, or hurrying along under a heavy load. When he 
is rich enough to enjoy tobacco, a small piece of that 
luxury is held with the siri between the lips and teeth. 
The leaf of the tobacco is cut so fine that it resembles the 
‘fine cut’ of civilized lands; and long threads of the 
fibrous, oakum-like stuff are often seen hanging out of the 
mouths of the natives. This habit prevails not only 
among the men, but also among the women; and whenever 
a number come together to gossip, as in other countries, 
a box containing the necessary articles is always seen near 
by, and a tall urn-shaped spit-box of brass is either in 
the midst of the circle or passing from one to another, that 
each may free her mouth from surplus saliva. Whenever 
a native calls on another, or a stranger is received from 
abroad, invariably the first article that is offered him is the 
siri-box. 


110 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


But I will resume. The tramp to Nua Wati had been 
somewhat longer and more fatiguing than that to Kotta, 
therefore we commenced our return early in the afternoon, 
in order to make the descent in a leisurely manner. I was 
especially glad of this; for, after looking at the maiden, 
I was full of questions, the answers to which I could 
only hope to gain through Frater Buis. But he intuitively 
anticipated all my wants, and began of his own accord 
to tell me the “‘rest of the story.” 

“The women, from their side of the question,’ began 
Frater Buis, ‘‘by no means consider that their condition is 
deplorable or in any way less desirable than that of other 
women in other parts of the world. Indeed, when I have 
frequently talked with them, and have pointed out the 
superior life which is the portion of Christian women, — 
of the teachers, catechists, and employees in our institu- 
tions, and especially of Christians of our own Western 
civilization, —- I have sometimes been quite embarrassed 
to note with what utter indifference they receive my re- 
marks: in fact, the most I have been able to get out of 
them at times was a careless shrug of the shoulders and an 
assurance that they would by no means wish to change 
places with women bound by such conventions. There- 
fore it is in some sense wrong to look upon them, apart 
from the fact of their pagan state,, as pitiably situated. 
They are generally quite happy in the life they lead, hard 
as it usually is; because they have no conception whatever 
that the wife ought to be recognized as the equal of her 
husband. 

“Indeed, though she is actually subject to her hus- 
band, having been purchased outright by him, she is 
looked upon by him in the light of a precious treasure 
for which he has sacrificed much (i.e., in the way of 
money or goods paid to the parents of the girl), rather 


Typical Women of the Endeh District 











“We are already sold” 


(i 


e., 


sold into 





matrimony ) 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 111 


than a slave. She is in nowise despised in the household, 
and the husband uses all care to see that she lives and 
develops so as to meet his requirements to the very best 
advantage. Ah, yes, she knows all the arts of pleasing 
the master of the house, and has long since learned that 
the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. 
Many, many dainties she prepares, and aims to become re- 
nowned in his eyes for capability in preparing an excellent 
meal. 

“However, though she is never, as a rule, abused, her 
lot is really hard, for the full care of the household de- 
volves upon her; and she also is wholly looked upon to 
supply the means of livelihood. Yet these conditions are 
in a certain way mitigated through the fact that there are 
generally several wives in a household, each one sharing 
a portion of the work and responsibility. And never 
does this condition of things cause jealousy, although it 
is true that there are frequently “‘family rows’’ among 
themselves; possibly the wife is only too glad to have 
others take part of the burden of support and labor from 
her shoulders. 

“Contrariwise, the husband takes life easy. His exer- 
tions are for the most part confined to the occupations 
which suit his good pleasure, — hunting, fishing, the 
climbing of cocoanut trees, and like exertions. However, 
when the harvest time comes, he also may frequently be 
seen to be as busy as the women in the fields.”’ 


112 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER’ ALE 


Sickness, Death, Burial, and the Sorcerers 


The boys give a boys’ entertainment at the Ndona school 
—— Departure of a Mother Superior —- Anniversary of 
Msgr. Noyen’s death — Blessing of a normal school — 
Going to Nua-Nelu and to Nua-Lolo, to hunt up a sor- 
cerer and learn about death —- The fraternities of the 
ata mali and the ata bisa (medicine men and sorcerers) — 
A typical case for ‘medical’ treatment — The story of 
Sina — Disposition of bodies in cases of unnatural death 
— When royalty departs this lItfe. 


On the evening of the twenty-third, the boys of the 
Ndona institute gave us an entertainment in the open air, 
in the form of a curious pagan dance. It was an odd 
spectacle to see some one hundred and fifty boys in lines 
around a tree in the playground, stamping rigorously with 
one foot in a certain rhythmic fashion of their own, mak- 
ing a whirring sound to ‘‘dispel ghosts.’’ The last boy in 
each line held in his hand the tail of a pig, and waved this 
about him as if directing the dance — while the one in the 
center recited, in a sing-song tone,words of his own in- 
vention. [he dances that followed this were character- 
ized by the clapping of hands, another imitated the flap- 
ping of wings, etc. We enjoyed the presentation because 
of its novelty, and the boys were really very graceful. 

St. Matthias’ Day (February 24) was a memorable 
one. In the first place, the Mother Superior of the Sisters, 
Servants of the Holy Ghost —- she was the regional Supe- 
rior of all our Sisters in the Dutch East Indies and resided 
at Ndona — left the island for the Mother House at Steyl, 


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Teachers 


and Pupils Posed Just Outside the Native 


School of 





Ndona 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 113 


Holland. to teke part im the general chapter of the Sis- 
ters. This was the first event of moment the second 
beme the celebration of Brother Constantine’s silver jubi- 
lee. at which Father General celebrated High Mass, and 
Father delange delivered an eloquent sermon. 

This day was. too, the first anniversary of our Mon- 
signor Noyen's death. This good priest was 2 man filled 
with ambition amd zeal. who had been working in China 
until zppomted missionary and first superior. and then 
first prefect zpostolic of the Little Sunda Islands. He 
dred. 2s I have mentioned before. nmmediately following 
the general chapter of the Society of the Divine Word in 
Holland the preceding year. He had had great plans for 
bis island mission. amd his death was. humanly speaking. 
= great loss. 

-Amother solemn event was the blessing of the new 
nermal school by our Father General. Priests, Brothers, 
and pups took part m the great procession. and the whole 
affair. of course, turned imto 2 big celebration for the na- 
mves, who gathered about. exated and happy. A pig 
must always be killed om such am occasion — and so it 
was dome —— ome for the schoolboys znd 2 smaller one for 
the workimgdoys. I[ witnessed the killing, which was 
performed by the boys themselves im public. First they 
gave the pig 2 stab om the side of the throat. quickly clos- 
img the incision so that the blood could not run out. Then 
the pig was taken and held over 2 fire to singe off the hairs, 
after which it was cut up, cleaned. and finally fried. The 
boys were very skillful and quick at this. 

The mext day (February 25) Father General cele- 
brated = requiem ammiversary High Mass for Monsignor 
Neyem. I bad the pleasure of baptizing a native girl, the 
sister of Bruno. and I called her Margaret in honor of the 

AL@NG TEE Mission Tram — II SS 





114 ALONG THE: MISSION TRAIL 


then president of the Techny Sodality (in the Holy Ghost 
Academy), which, from its very start, has always been 
distinctly a misston sodality. According to the arrange- 
ments we had made we were to leave Ndona the following 
day —- Quinquagesima Sunday — to begin an inspection 
tour of the mission stations of our Society throughout the 
islands. The districts west of Endeh were entirely out of 
the question — we could not reach them; Ruteng and Reo 
were too far off, and so high up in the mountains that the 
difficulty of going to them would not be counteracted by 
the good done, since the stations themselves were not yet 
sufficiently developed to make an inspection by our Su- 
perior General of any material value. 

But, as you now know, there were some of the high- 
land villages which I was able to visit, from time to time, 
accompanied by one or another of the missionaries. 
Wishing to make every day count for as much as possible, 
and knowing that on the morrow I should leave this par- 
ticular section of the country, at least temporarily, I 
sought out our Father Ettel, a missionary who, formerly, 
had had many years of missionary experience in Togo, 
West Africa, and asked him to take me to a district where 
I might learn ‘‘something about death and funerals, and 
all that sort of thing.’’ Father at once said that we should 
tramp to the villages of Nua-Nelu and Nua-Lolo, each 
in turn, and that, perchance, we might be fortunate enough 
to run across an old ata mali or ata bisa, as the case might 
be (these names are given respectively to members of two 
different fraternities of “‘medicine men’’ or sorcerers). It 
appears that one of these fellows made his headquarters in 
Nua-Nelu and, although he was not the chief, sufficiently 
influenced the inhabitants to make them very cold and un- 
friendly towards the missionaries; but Father Ettel 
thought it would even be worth while to note this very 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 115 


coldness or reception with which the missionaries are con- 
stantly compelled to contend in certain sections. After 
we had gone well on our way, Father Ettel began to ex- 
plain to me in detail all about the practices of a native 
sorcerer of his district. 

“Just as we in civilized countries resort to a physician 
in order to regain health,’’ he said, “‘so the pagan inhabit- 
ants of Flores, when ill, call in one of these ‘experts.’ 
These people may be induced to come and practice their 
arts, but frequently they demand and secure very large fees. 
One of their cures consists of putting into practice a cer- 
tain method called pu langa, or ‘extracting,’ as we would 
say. } 
““As soon as one is seriously ill, a messenger is sent to 
fetch some member of either one or the other of the ‘fra- 
ternities,’ as individual preferences or circumstances may 
demand. 

“Now let us make out a hypothetical case and suppose 
that a man is ill with cerebral malaria or tuberculosis, and 
has been reduced to a state of delirium. Well, let us say 
that the native doctor arrives upon the scene. Around his 
neck he will be found to wear a little bag in which he 
carries a collection of oddities, consisting of bits of crystal, 
pointing-sticks, human bones, and perhaps some native 
medicaments and some herbs and roots known to possess 
curative properties. Around his loins he often carries a 
second bag with a supplementary supply of these valuable 
adjuncts to his profession, and somewhere he is sure to 
be concealing the pieces of glass and stones which he is 
going to charm out of the body of the sick man. Not 
uncommonly he keeps these in his mouth, and their wet 
appearance when he has exorcised them invariably ex- 
cites favorable comment. The sorcerer proceeds to exam- 
ine the patient with elaborate ceremony and then announ- 


116 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


ces to the anxious relatives that it is just as he expected: 
certain stones have been wished into the man’s body by 
a neighboring magician or some other evil agency. Bend- 
ing over the sufferer he begins to mumble long incanta- 
tions and to rub vigorously. Sometimes he.is a skilled 
masseur and uses a hot stone wrapped in bark, to knead 
the sore muscles. By this treatment he frequently relieves 
the rheumatic pains which accompany so many infections. 
Some time during the course of his massage, he palms off 
one of his stones or fragments of glass, and the sick man, 
if he be conscious, generally experiences great and im- 
miediate relief. Such is the power of mind over matter. 

“But if, after innumerable stones and pieces of glass 
have been withdrawn from the body of the patient, he still 
shows no reaction, the time has come for the sorcerer to 
try a new stunt. He addresses the relatives, saying: ‘It is 
evident that in some way this man has allowed the evil 
spirits to get an exceedingly strong hold over him. Now 
it may be that he himself has yielded to the evil spirits 
within him to such an extent that it will be impossible to 
withdraw him from their power. However, I will try 
to bring him back to life.’ He then takes some medicinal 
salt from his bag and inserts a pinch of it between the half- 
closed eyelids of the patient, rubbing it into his eyeballs. 
Stimulated by the pain, the sick man, who has been lying 
in a deathlike torpor, frequently groans and tosses from 
side to side or sits up and speaks. The sorcerer, you may 
be sure, makes due capital out of this sudden return to con- 
sciousness on the part of the patient, for consciousness and 
life are one and the same thing in primitive thought. 

“It also frequently happens,’’ concluded Father Ettel, 
“that the sick person makes a vow to kill one or several 
buffaloes in the event of his recovery. In this case, he is 
afterwards ‘baptized’ in the blood. But, after all is said 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 117 


and done, the main thing connected with the long or short 
siege of illness is the great banquet which follows.”’ 


But meanwhile we had come upon the little village 
of Nua-Nelu. However, I was not destined to gain any- 
thing of great value from this spot, for, true to prophecy, 
as soon as we were caught sight of, every last person in the 
village disappeared like magic, and we were left quite 
alone and cheerless, and entirely dependent upon our own 
devices. At all events, I was bound to put a good face 
on the matter, and began to speak in tones of interest con- 
cerning the great stone tomb which we came upon in the 
midst of the settlement. 

“O ho,” said Father, “‘that is not so very large. I 
shall show you a much bigger one when we reach Nua- 
Lolo; it may be, also, that we shail at least persuade a 
few of the people there to speak a word with us.”’ 

So we went on to Nua-Lolo. 

The people were not friendly, but they did not actual- 
ly run away from us; on the other hand, no sorcerer made 
his appearance. Perhaps his native sagacity and prudence 
forbade that he should approach near us. However, we 
saw Kasa, the chief of the village, and had a few words 
with him: he is really very kindly disposed towards our 
Fathers. 

When we came to take the road home, Father told 
me the story of Sina, wife of Kasa, who died not many 
years ago. It seemed that our Father Preissler had long 
and earnestly tried to convert her, but all to no purpose. 
She was neither interested in the Christian teaching con- 
cerning heaven nor that dealing with hell. At last, word 
came that Sina was seriously ill, and the priest repaired to 
her home at the earliest possible moment, in the hope that, 
through his instrumentation, grace might prove effective 


118 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


to break through the old crust of hereditary superstition 
that held the woman. 

When the Father, with a companion, arrived at the 
house of the chief, silence reigned everywhere. 

“They are asleep,’’ said the Father. 

“Which must mean that the woman is better,’ sug- 
gested the companion. 

‘‘Perhaps,’’ said Father. 

But then, suddenly, came a call — 

“Tuwan! Tuwan!”’ 

“Is that you, kapala?’’ the Father responded im- 
mediately. 

“Yes,’’ came back to him, from within. 

‘““Why do you sit in there alone?’’ said Father. 

“Alas, Tuwan!”’ 

“How fares Sina?”’ 

No answer. 

‘‘May we not see her?”’ 

“Yes,’’ replied the chief. 

And so the priest and his companion crept within the 
abode, going on all fours because of the smallness of the 
entrance. 

Before them lay the poor creature, stretched out on 
the hard floor and clad in a dirty garment that she had 
worn, day and night, for years. A mat was thrown over 
her for covering, and her head, one mass of entangled hair, 
rested on a hard and dirty pillow. Her wrinkled features 
bore the unmistakable expression of a person dying. 

“Little Mother, have you slept?’ the Father asked. 

“How can I sleep?’’ she answered. 

‘“Many pains?” 

“Yes —— I must surely die.”’ 


“Ts there anything I can do for you?” 
‘““Nothing.”’ 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 119 


“But surely you desire to be eternally happy after 
your death, do you not?”’ 

“Certainly. I shall go to the Fire Mountain.’* 

‘Do you not rather wish to go to our Heavenly Fa- 
ther?”’ 

ANOS 

And all further efforts to persuade or assist were in. 
vain. ix) Gah 

The woman died within the night. The exploding 
of a bamboo cane rammed with powder announced the 
news to all. 

Women from everywhere joined the women of the 
household; gathering about the corpse and depositing their 
gifts, and all uniting in the wailing chorus of the death 
chant. | 

Now ancient custom absolutely demands that.a great 
feast shall be held before the burial, and that a sufficient 
amount of rice shall be offered to the deceased. But the 
rice supply of the old chief had fallen short, and he would 
therefore be unable to bury his wife until the coming 
harvest, four months away. 

But at least he found means to procure a sack of rice 
in which to place the body until such time as the proper 
rites could be thoroughly carried out. But even here 
ancient tradition demanded the adoption of a certain 
definite procedure for the temporary disposal of the corpse. 
Therefore, after allowing the required time to elapse for. 
the mourning, the medicine man of Nua-Nelu was called 
upon, who related to the dead woman the fact that she 
could not for the time being be fittingly interred, and that 
in consequence she must consent to remain in the home 


1 The real meaning and origin of the idea of ‘going to the Fire 
Mountain’ is given in Chapter XX (“A Harrowing Experience”), 
in which is described a trip to the crater of the volcano, Keli Mutu. 


120 “ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


with the family until the time of the harvest. After this 
brief allocution, Sina was lifted up and placed with all 
due care in the sack. With a stout rope the sack was se- 
curely tied and then swung aloft some fourteen feet, among 
the rafters of the house, where the smoke from the six 
hearths with which the house was provided constantly 
gathered. : : 

For four long months the corpse remained thus, being 
apportioned every evening a few grains of rice; and a wet 
wood fire was constantly kept smoldering beneath her. 

At last the harvest was in, and the old chief announced 
abroad that after ten days the burial ceremony of his be- 
loved Sina would take place. All responded to a man, 
bringing presents (especially food) with them. There 
was a great feast, in which were served, among other 
things, two carabaos, eleven pigs, and seventeen goats. The 
dead Sina was the chief personage of the occasion, and the 
medicine man himself offered her of whatever was to be 
had, in preference to all others. When at last the hilarious 
occasion came to an end, the medicine man gave orders to 
open the grave. This lay in the middle of the village and, 
as you have learned concerning the usual custom, was made 
of vertical slabs and covered.with a large flat stone. So 
the top stone was now removed, the interior cleared and the 
resting-place of Sina prepared. “Then the medicine man 
stepped within, before the corpse had been play and 
proceeded to address the dead person: 

“Good Sina, the time has come for you to take definite 
leave of us. Scrupulously have we attended you; and we 
are now asking you, in recognition of this, to leave us in 
peace. Go forth, then, to Nua-Mereh (the great city) on 
the Fire Mountain where reigns the god Kendeh-Rato, 
and never return hither.”’ 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 121 


After this parting exhortation six men carried Sina to 
her grave. At this juncture there arose a strenuous protest 
from the women, in accordance with an exact following 
out of the prescribed ritual procedure (for this symbolized 
their final expression of grief for the departed one). 
Meanwhile the body was lowered in such a manner that 
the corpse faced the Nua-Mereh: An elephant’s tooth, 
some gold, and a knife were deposited with her, so that 
she might have whatever would’ be necessary for her. jour- 
ney. At nightfall the grave was hastily covered, in order 
to avoid letting the spirit of the dead woman find its way 
back to the house. Friends and relatives remained with 
the chief, eating, drinking, and dancing, until all the pro- 
visions were consumed. Then, with suitable ceremony, 
each quietly made his departure. — 

“When no Fire Mount is close to a village,’ con- 
tinued Father Ettel, ‘‘the souls are believed to remain in 
little shacks built about a single post, which are provided 
for them. These burial abodes are located on two opposite 
sides of the village —- one on the one side, for deceased 
females; one on the other, for male folk. These souls 
receive daily consideration and are supplied with their 
daily portion of rice (this is picked up and disposed of by 
rats and mice). 

“In the case of deaths from unnatural causes, a differ- 
ent state of affairs obtains. The bodies are wrapped in a 
cloth and placed in a barrel-like structure; or again, under 
other circumstances, they are placed in the hollow of a 
tree, or under a roof of four posts; or they are suspended 
from tree-tops: it all depends upon the kind of death, 
whether by sword, by drowning, or what not. Where 
a death has been caused in connection with a question of 
slander, and when the culprit is unknown, the corpse of 
the victim is hung in an open space, between two posts, 


122 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


thus causing the body to appear in the midst of the people, 
as it were, challenging the evildoer to confess the deed. 

“Of course, the ordinary natives do not have all this 
ceremony over them when they die; but on the other hand, 
when a local king or queen passes out, there is an event 
which turns the whole life of the people topsy-turvy for 
months and months. For instance, upon the death of a 
queen, all regulations and provisions for either marriages 
or funerals within the realm, no matter how far these ar- 
rangements may have progressed, are simply held up and 
postponed until the royal personage has been finally con- 
signed to her last resting-place. 

“Recently a queen died, and this was what happened: 
From all sides, for miles roundabout, the people streamed 
into the regal city. When they arrived within five min- 
utes’ distance of the queen's residence, they began to sing. 
Three times they halted, rested, and renewed their song. 
Then, at a given signal, they began to send up their wails, 
to weep and mourn, beating their heads against the earth, 
seizing stones and hurling them, and exhibiting other in- 
dications of consternation and despair. Soon, upon an- 
other signal, all crying ceased, giving way to laughter and 
merriment. 

“The remains of the queen were kept in a hut, on a 
bamboo support. Thrice daily, meat, rice, and other ar- 
ticles of food were brought to her; and a little round 
hole in the bamboo support was provided, in order that 
the ghost of the deceased might have free access. Thus 
the affair went on for fully six months. The whole popu- 
lation of the kingdom spent an entire month in feasting 
on some two hundred and fifty buffaloes, one thousand 
pigs, three hundred goats, and so on; and, during that 
time, not a woman was buried or married. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 123 
“It is extremely hard,’’ concluded the Father, ‘‘to 
overcome these prejudices of the people in favor of their 
ancient customs and beliefs. For instance, I know that 
the services of the ata bisa are constantly sought, although 
I have offered them medicine and all kinds of aid, protest- 
ing to them that I neither asked for money nor desired to 
deceive them; but they have almost uniformly answered 
me: ‘Oh, yes; indeed, the priest is good; the Tuwan cer- 
tainly wishes to help us.’ 
“But in their hearts, I know that they have a thou- 
sand times more confidence in the ata bisa than in all the 
ministrations I might offer.’ 


Nore. — Perhaps it is well to remark here, although the point has 
been referred to elsewhere in the volume, that it is quite impossible 
in a popular work of this sort to narrate in full all the various dis- 
tinctions in practice concerning the customs and habits of the people. 
The attempt must rather be made to represent a general picture of 
conditions as they are, without too punctilious reference to the exact 
mission district in which given usages and traditional acts of the 
natives are described. 


124 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XIV 
From Ndona to Lela 


East to our Lela station by motor-boat —- Under a vol- 
cano — Paga in the distance — A great reception — The 
work of the Misstonary Sisters, Servants of the Holy 
Ghost — The wonderful development of this mission. 


Our time was to be given, first, to the mission districts 
of central, northern, and eastern parts of Flores, and then 
to the Dutch section of Timor. We decided to go direct 
to our Lela station, and from there to work our way back 
towards Ndona (the central station) again; and finally, 
after we had had our retreat and mission conference, we 
would visit Timor. The controlleur of Endeh, a Dutch 
officer, said that we might have the use of his motor-boat 
on the Sunday, as it was never required for government 
work on that day. It is worth mentioning here that he 
generously gives this boat to the Fathers, if they need it, 
on any day when it is not actually in requisition for 
government service; indeed, the men in authority are most 
courteous and kind to our missionaries, as will be shown 
from time to time as we proceed with our narrative. [ 
had originally planned to go to Lela on horseback, via 
Djopu, with Father Eickman and Father Preissler, as I 
had been told that the land route was much more interest- 
ing than that by water; but the land trip is eighty paals, 
or miles, and requires three days of horseback riding, be- 
cause of the mountainous nature of the entire route, while 
the passage by sea is only forty-three paals, and in quiet 
weather can be made in six hours. This being so, and es- 
pecially because [ found the sea to be calm on the morn- 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 125 


ing when we were scheduled to start, I preferred to join 
Fathers Fries and deLange, who were to accompany Fa- 
ther General, and go to Lela by motor-boat. We arose 
at quarter before four o'clock, and, after saying Mass, 
proceeded in a buggy to Ipih Bay, where our boat, manned 
by natives, awaited us. It stood full half a mile out to sea, 
and a boat with an outrigger sail — a real sampan —— took 
us each in turn to it. At half past six o'clock we set 
sail, with three natives to take care of the eight-horse- 
power engine and to direct the little craft. Our trip was 
to be along the coast, but I was told that to go out on 
the open sea one must have a boat with a forty-horse- 
power motor at least. 

The Endeh volcano was smoking lazily as we left, 
and I remember musing on the fact that I was passing 
directly under the shadow of an active volcano without 
being a bit alarmed or excited about it. All the islands in 
this part of the world are of volcanic origin and possess 
more volcanoes in proportion to their combined areas 
than any other territory of like size on the globe. Almost 
every other island of this great archipelago, from the Phil- 
ippines to Australia, has its mountains which spout steam, 
fire, and volcanic mud. 

The islands of Flores and Timor, and in fact all the 
islands that go to make up the Little Sundas, are marked 
with serried ranks of mountain ranges or more open 
isolated peaks — all volcanic, many now extinct but some 
more or less active. Notable among the volcanoes are the 
Gunung Api, and the Gunung Medja, Mount Keo, the 
Keli Mutu, and Mount Lobiboli. Mount Keo is 7000 
feet high, and has a large fissure in its side, from which 
constantly issue immense volumes of sulphurous smoke 
and steam. ‘lowards evening, when the sun plays upon 
these sulphurous clouds and across the ridge of the moun- 


126 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


tain, the whole scene seems to be formed of arches, crests, 
and lofty towers of pure gold. 

All over the islands, the mountain sides and midway 
mountain plateaus are fertile and are covered with luxuri- 
ant growth. But in the valleys between the ridges, where 
water is frequently scarce, there are extensive grassy plains 
or savannas. On the higher table-lands the climate is 
more nearly like our temperate zone, and in one of these 
higher localities the Brothers have succeeded in establishing 
an excellent vegetable farm, from which all the missions 
in the islands are more or less supplied with products that 
they would, otherwise, have to go without, or would be 
obliged to purchase at considerable expense from Java and 
elsewhere. All the table-lands above 5000 feet are of 
lava formation. 

Of the Keli Mutu volcano I wish to speak somewhat 
at length, later in my narrative; for it was my good for- 
tune to make the trip to its summit, and to view with all 
but breathless amazement and wonder the sights which the 
crater and its interior have to present. 

The sun was barely above the mountains, as we sailed 
along close to shore, and talked, said our office, or dreamed 
away, with eyes wide open or sometimes half asleep. The 
gentle shaking of the boat helped to make us drowsy. In 
my Mass that morning I had, as the third oration, selected 
the one, pro navigantibus; and Heaven was indeed propi- 
tious to us, for both wind and waves were favorable. 

The scenery on land changed continuously as we 
moved on, but with beautiful mountain peaks always in 
the far distance, and ranges covered with cornfields; and 
here and there one could descry Rampongs nestled on 
mountains or in valleys under palm trees. At length our 
attention was called to a mission of Father Flint, —- Mau- 
Looh by name, a town on the seashore; and a little later 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 127 


on we passed Paga, his residence. This was situated high 
up on a hill, and lying between two kRampongs. And it 
seemed rather curiously coincident that we should just then 
discover him in a native canoe, sailing the same waters, 
also on his way to Lela; but he was too far off for us to 
hail or get in touch with him. | 

At noon we reached the landing-place of Lela, and im- 
mediately we noted a small host of black and brown chil- 
dren running down the village road to the shore. “They 
had previously caught a glimpse of the boat, and had 
started to race through the village roads, spreading the 
news. And presently the grown-ups appeared in throngs 
— men, women, and children crowding down to the land- 
ing-place, where two big bamboo trees were planted on the 
shore, with banners flying from their tops. We soon rec- 
ognized among the crowd our Fathers, Haarmann, Koch 
(who is another missionary recruited from our Togo 
Mission in Africa) and Koeberl (who is known especially 
for his catechetical work in Lela). Anchor was cast at 
some distance from the shore; and again we had to wait 
for the sampan, to take each one of us off in turn. The 
breakers were fairly heavy, but the little boat was well 
managed by a native skilled in handling a paddle. He 
would cautiously come up to our boat, and, each time, as 
he approached, would wait for the right moment. Simi- 
larly, when he approached the shore, a dozen natives stood 
ready, out in the water, waiting to pull the boat up and 
avoid the huge wave that followed him. We landed safe- 
ly and without getting wet, and this was quite a tribute 
to the skill of our good oarsman, let me tell you. As 
soon as all were ashore, a procession of boys and girls of 
the school (some of the latter were dressed like black an- 
gels) and of the crowds of grown folk was formed, and 
with it we marched up to the church, amid shouts and 


128 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL -° 


cheers. Tabe, Tuwan! ‘‘Welcome, Sir!’’ they cried in 
chorus. When we reached the church, the uproar died 
down, and we went in for a few moments of thanksgiv- 
ing and adoration. Then we followed on to the pastorte 
(Dutch word for rectory). and were soon once more at 
home with our confréres. After luncheon we sat on the 
open and spacious veranda, to witness a celebration of 
welcome. There were recitations, songs in the Malay and 
Sikkanese languages, and even a native harvest dance. 
At night we had devotions, followed by Benediction; and 
as nearly all the inhabitants of Lela are Catholics, the 
sight was most edifying. ‘Their praying and singing were 
things to be remembered. There was a cadence to the 
recitation of their prayers that sounded strange to us, and 
yet was most attractive. I noticed that, everywhere on 
these islands, the women and girls squat or kneel on the 
right side, when at devotions; while the men and boys 
occupy the floor on the Gospel side; there are no pews. 

The story of the mission station at Lela may well be- 
gin with the work of the Missionary Sisters, Servants of 
the Holy Ghost, whose convent in Lela is situated only a 
short distance from the ocean, sheltered by green palm 
trees and surrounded on all sides by cocoa palms which 
supply the chief product of the country. These Sisters 
had been preceded, in 1895, by the Sisters of Charity, from 
Tilburg, Holland. This earlier pioneer band of twelve 
was first stationed in Maumere. Climatic conditions, how- 
ever, soon forced the little community to leave this place 
and go to Lela, which afterwards became the central sta- 
tion of Flores. 

For some time the prefect apostolic, Monsignor Noyen, 
had been appealing to Steyl for Sisters. In 1916 the 
Mother General of the Sisters of Charity, being called up- 
on to make a foundation in Sumatra (Tandjong-Sahti) , 


OE OUP OE VOTO) Oy) FO Hotperedord 
OW) Ut SOU eTseY [HOOT OM MPO UE fooyoe AU PIO JST ou TO Ani fo oto tee ony te 








The Boys’ Standard School in Lela 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 129 


also sent a petition to Steyl, for Sisters to come and con- 
tinue their work in Lela. This time, without delay, the 
Mother General of the Missionary Sisters commissioned 
Sister Willibrord, as superior, with six companions to 
depart from the Mother House at Steyl, and to proceed 
to this field of labor and conquest. After a journey of 
seventy-two days from Europe, these Sisters arrived in 
Lela, on January 14, 1917. They were greeted by three 
of the Tilburg Sisters, accompanied by one hundred and 
thirty school children who had come to take them to their 
convent. The acting Superior of the mission, and the 
pastor of a neighboring station, Father Mueller, S.J., also 
came to welcome them. ‘The Sisters of Chartiy, who had 
labored for twenty-seven years in this part of the Lord’s 
vineyard which they were now about to leave, amidst the 
greatest difficulties and trials, received the newcomers with 
great kindness and hospitality. With disinterestedness 
they surrendered their local missionary responsibilities into 
the hands of their successors. 

On January 22 the Superior of the Tilburg Sisters, 
with six of her companions, left for their new foundation, 
while those remaining of the older community stayed on 
with the Sisters from Steyl until July, 1917, to instruct 
them in the language and in the various customs of the 
country. 

The following years demanded many sacrifices of the 
Sisters, but the difficulties only fired their courage the more. 
Father Mueller and the other Fathers and Brothers of the 
Society of Jesus did all in their power to aid them in their 
work. The Superior was full of solicitude for their wel- 
fare, but the Sisters were healthy and strong and, like true 
servants of the Holy Ghost, were happy to do their ut- 
most in advancing the great cause of the missions. Never- 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 9 


130 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


theless, they worked with the expectation of receiving 
early reinforcements from the Mother House in Steyl; 
but this assistance, owing to the difficult times, was de- 
layed until March, 1919, when a second band, consisting 
of three Sisters, arrived. As has been intimated, when 
the Sisters from Steyl first arrived in Lela, the school chil- 
dren numbered one hundred and thirty boarders: and one 
hundred day pupils. The course of studies required at 
that time has since been maintained; it covers a period of 
six years for the boarders, and of three years for the day 
pupils. The girls receive a good Christian education, and 
at the same time they are taught all the branches for the 
proper making of a home. The children receive free in- 
struction. 

The Sisters have charge of the girls’ institution (St. 
Peter Claver’s), the housework, and the church linens. 
They bake hosts and bread; and they make candles and 
vestments, and also a number of other articles which can 
be bought in almost any store in America. The girls who 
assist the Sisters thus receive practical knowledge in all the 
household arts. Besides the school, the Sisters have oppor- 
tunities for doing much good by visiting the sick and car- 
ing for them. 

Until 1917 instructions in the Sisters’ school were 
given in the Sikka language. However, for various rea- 
sons (chiefly to obtain a small pecuniary assistance from 
the government) the prefect apostolic considered it ad- 
visable to give instructions in Malay, since this is the lan- 
guage used in all the government schools. The petition to 
the government for the support of a new building was 
favorably received and promptly acceded to. In conse- 
quence, a new school was built and completed in 1921. 

At present the school numbers one hundred and nine- 
ty-five boarders and one hundred and forty-nine day 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 131 


pupils. Twelve Sisters are occupied with the work of the 
mission in Lela, but two new girls’ schools have also been 
established by them, ——- one in Ndona, and the other in 
Lahurus on the island of Timor. 

We found here and in other places that the beautiful 
custom of wearing medals about the neck is much practiced 
among the people, and it is apparently extended through- 
out these islands. Not only the Christians, but also the 
heathens, are frequently seen wearing these evidences of 
Christianity. Upon the heathens being asked why they 
care to have them, they answer that they wish to be pro- 
tected against the ‘evil ones." “The pagan has a tremendous 
fear of evil spirits, whom he venerates and invokes, by 
sactifices and prayer, far oftener than he calls upon God. 
According to his understanding, God is goodness itself, 
and has, therefore, no evil in Him which He might send 
upon mortals; but the devils are full of evils, which they 
readily inflict upon men if men do not honor them by 
worship. May God, in His great mercy, eventually en- 
lighten these benighted people through the protection and 
inspiration of His Blessed Mother and the saints whose em- 
blems they wear so loyally. 


132 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XV 
Our Mission at Sikka 


St. Peter Claver’s — Not on the program! — A beautiful 

settlement —- The Catholic Radja of Stkka — The wife 

of the Radja — The goldsmith — Stkkanese industries — 
The monthly recollection and conference. 


We spent an hour in inspection of the Sisters’ Insti- 
tute, — St. Peter Claver’s, — situated on the right side of 
the church, with about one hundred and ninety-five girls 
in the boarding-school. The Fathers have a pension for 
boys, situated just to the left of the church; it accom- 
modates one hundred and fifty boarders. St. Peter Cla- 
ver’s was built by the Jesuit Fathers. Its general arrange- 
ment is practical and convenient, and the beautiful trees 
by which the building is surrounded adds to its charm. 
The girls gave us a celebration of welcome, which was 
unpretentious but nevertheless fine; however, the most 
amusing number was not mentioned on the program. A 
black dog belonging to the mission station came up, and, 
looking about him, surveyed the entire audience, in ap- 
parent delight. Then, he walked directly toward Father 
General, wagged his tail violently, made a sort of bow, 
and made his exit. There was laughter on all! sides at 
this silent approval of the visitors! 

The hair dressing of the boys and girls is different in 
the Lela station from that of the Endeh district. The 
boys’ heads are completely shaved, except for a tuft left 
at the crown, which sometimes takes the shape of a triangle 
or some other curious figure. The girls shave their heads 
also; but in the center there is a basket or hat-like strand. 


S91q2}0N Puy “doIpITYD ‘aJTM YIM ‘exYIG Jo yelpey o1[0y}eD oY} ‘eATIG ep HV IeN 








An Assemblage of Natives of the Roga Kampong 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 133 


with a pigtail. Broken bits of glass bottles, etc., serve as 
razors; and every man jack must be ready to service for 
another. 

In the afternoon, after the usual siesta, we went east, 
on horseback, to Sikka, one of the oldest mission stations 
of Flores. For a distance of three paals Father General, 
Father Meyer, the pastor of Sikka, and I traveled together; 
Father Stephen Van Cleef joined us later. We rode along 
the seashore, and enjoyed every moment of it. The people 
came running to welcome us, grown-ups and naked or 
half-naked children saluting us by bringing their hands 
to their foreheads in half-military fashion, while shouting 
at the top of their lungs, Tabe, Tuwan! Tabe, Tuwan! 
As we drew nearer to Sikka, the bell of the mission church 
began to ring for devotions, and the people assembled 
before the building. The Radja, or king of Sikka (an 
excellent Catholic), also appeared. He wore the decora- 
tion Pour le merite, which he had received from Queen 
Wilhelmina of Holland, pinned to his upper garment on 
his breast. The Rapala (chief) came a little later. After de- 
votions and Benediction, we had luncheon on the veranda. 
Here the crowd gathered before us, while the school choir, 
under the direction of the native teachers, sang for us. 
Two couples who had been married that morning were 
presented to us on the veranda; the husbands stood def- 
erentially on one side, while we turned to greet the wives 
on the other: this was all in accordance with local re- 
quirements of etiquette. The women were gayly dressed, 
and one of them had her hair done up in rings that fell 
down over her face; evidently she was the admired of 
all beholders. The whole assemblage of attire did not be- 
long to either of them, but was borrowed for the oc- 
casion; and the same condition of affairs was also true of 


134 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the bridegrooms, one of whom actually wore a borrowed 
stiff white collar! 

Sikka is indeed a beautiful settlement. To protect the 
frail bamboo huts of the Sikkanese fishermen and sailors 
against the ravenous onslaughts of the ‘‘sea-wolves,’’ as 
they call the waves, nature has piled up grotesque blocks of 
stone about the bay, these being the huge remains of vol- 
canic eruption. ‘There is a sort of gap in the coast, with 
a bed of glistening sand which forms the arena of the 
place. The favorite sport, cock-fighting, occurs here, and 
here all the village gossip is told and retold. “The men 
go out to trade in their boats of hollowed tree-trunks, 
to bring back rice and corn, for which they barter their 
own wares; small dogs and goats, polished knife-blades, 
ivory tusks, gaudy cloth, and glittering beads. 

West of the harbor is a broad, fissured coral reef. We 
spent an unforgettable hour at this spot, watching the 
waves which dashed mountain high, so it seemed, on the 
beautiful strand. At ebb-tide the Sikkanese women and 
children come out here, to gather up stray little fish and 
crabs, which they catch by hand or with a sort of needle- 
bow. These they cook with rice. This much-visited 
coral field is surrounded on the north by the huts of the 
Sikkanese. Their dwellings are simple in construction: 
strong posts uphold a rude bamboo scaffolding, the walls 
of which, made of widely overhanging roofs of straw, shut 
out the sun and rain. In the midst of these huts is the 
wooden structure of the mission station, whose pillars 
and walls are of solid, reddish-brown djatiwood. A fire- 
proof sheetiron roof offers protection from the rains and 
from the tropical sun. Around the building there extends 
a broad veranda; this is the missionary’s office, where the 
daily life of the mission station is carried on. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 135 


But a few steps from the mission station stands the 
church of Sikka with its wagon-shed. Although every 
church in the missions is held precious, because Our Lord 
dwells therein; yet the church of Sikka is doubly treasured, 
because of its beauty and in its architectural lines; and 
appropriateness of construction. All is of stone and red- 
dish-brown wood; withal, it is wonderfully simple with- 
in, when one kneels down to meditate upon God and the 
eternal truths, a great peace and quiet prevails. 

Joseph Mbako da Silva, the late king of Sikka, with 
Father Engbers, S.J., erected this beautiful building. “To 
the south, and adjoining the church property, are the old 
and new royal abodes of Sikka’s kings. The present king 
is Joseph Non Meak da Silva, the son of the noble 
Mbako da Silva. Non Meak is a small, short, thick-set 
man. The lines of his face are rough, and his gesture 
and step are awkward; but his dark eyes fully and clearly 
perceive the needs of his widely extended kingdom, while 
his deep voice inspires fear alike in the Sikkanese and in the 
_ simple farm folk of the fertile mountain slopes. 

The wife of the prince is Eda da Gomez, a quiet, in- 
dustrious woman of distinguished ancestry. Although 
Non Meak is inclined to adopt some of the European 
fashions, Eda clings to the dress of the Sikkanese women, 
which is simple and picturesque enough, but very imprac- 
ticable when there is a question of speedy work or activi- 
ties of any kind. ‘The shoulders are covered by a sort of 
blouse of fine bright silk. In place of a European gown, 
the woman wears a long blue, or brownish-red colored 
loin-cloth of home manufacture, on which are conven- 
tional designs in yellow and white. The blending be- 
tween the bright blouse and the dark lower garment is 
effected by a dark silk shawl which is thrown across one 
shoulder and wound around the hips. The Sikkanese 


136 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


woman adorns herself with gold and silver rings and from 
five to ten ivory bracelets, or with artistically wrought 
metal rings. At the great festival dances she wears orna- 
mental gold and silver strings and chains. 

The fisherman’s wife purchases her jewelry from the 
industrious village goldsmith. According to a hallowed 
family tradition, this noble art is handed down from the 
father to his most expert son. ‘The artisan sits upon the 
bamboo veranda of his pile-driven cottage, his legs crossed 
under him. With a spluttering fire in the sooty coal-pan 
at his left, and a little anvil at his right, this master-work- 
man takes up the rasp, the pliers, the chisel, the shears, 
or the black proving-stone, and, day after day, hammers 
and files and blows and forges. 

But all are industrious here at Sikka. While the gold- 
smith works out his gold and silver, the diligent house- 
wife of the village is at her rude spinning-wheel and loom; 
and on the sunny mountain slope and in the well culti- 
vated fields the women and children gather the snowy 
flakes of wool from the low-lying bushels. A_ hard, 
black kernel or seed is hidden in these flakes, and the ex- 
perienced spinner forces this out with a little carding ma- 
chine which permits the soft wool, but not the kernel to 
pass; and so the down drops to one side of the machine, 
while the dislodged kernel falls upon the clean sand. Then 
the cleaned wool flakes are placed in piles on yellow mats, 
and threshed with smooth sticks. The smoothed and 
combed mass is rolled into little balls, and from these the 
whitish-yellow strands are spun. The crude spinning- 
wheel and bobbin are fastened to a small board, beside 
which the woman sits and, working with hands and feet, 
spins the thin yarn. The yarn, which is still quite rough, 
is taken from the bobbin and placed in order on reels hang- 
ing quite free, and is then wound into coils. The man of 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 137 


the family makes, from light bamboo, a rectangular frame 
for the warp, and mother and daughter stretch the yarn 
on this. In the meantime, the yarn has been dyed and 
fixed and they now weave into it various forms and figures 
with fine grass, and again fix and dye it, until at last it is 
ready for the simple loom. After it has been spun, the 
weaver takes up her position just beneath the pile-driven 
building, and with assiduous strokes begins weaving and 
making articles for her family. It is a tedious work of 
weeks, but truly beautiful and durable is the finished 
cloth with its warm-toned colors and pleasing designs. 

I have thus spoken of the various industries which 
engage the people of Sikka, not because such industries 
are not more or less prevalent in all the coastal stations, 
but rather because I had here the best opportunity and 
leisure to note them. Yet the work in the fields and on 
the seas is the same in all the stations, and there is more or 
less trading and commercial intercourse carried on in every 
port, no matter how small, with the farm people who live 
in hill districts somewhat back from the coast. Again, 
marketing is a great feautre in these places; a man will 
frequently travel for a day or two, from some back- 
country spot, in order to trade a few dollars’ worth of 
products — cattle, pigs, chickens, corn, rice, onions, sweet 
potatoes, tobacco, coffee, copra, oranges, bananas, etc. 
‘Then, there is always work on the government roads, 
wherever the natives are compelled to take part in this. 
But they do not like road building, although the roads, 
being extended everywhere throughout the islands by the 
government, are of the greatest advantage to the people as 
well as to the missionaries. 

Of course, industrial conditions with the mountain 
people differ widely from those on the coast. Perhaps 
it would be better to say that, with the exception of 


138 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


agriculture and building, such conditions do not exist in 
these sections; for the people carry their produce down the 
mountain to the coast, and there trade for whatever things 
they need. 

In many mountain places the men have a compara- 
tively easy time of it, for there are cocoanut trees at hand 
for food, and there is really not much to do, in the way 
of manly labors as they consider them, except hunting, 
cutting down trees, and building. But the women are al- 
ways busy, from early morning until night; and their 
gardens are tended with great care, irregular as they are. 
I say irregular, for you must know that not a plow is 
used in these gardens and fields, neither are plows found 
in use anywhere in Flores: the methods of farming are 
quite primitive. The people have a rude cultivator, made 
of a pole and a crosspiece, tipped with a bit of iron. When 
they are ready to plant, in spring, they burn down a 
piece of scrub land, leaving stand such bamboo trees as 
may be on the plot; these latter are cut as needed for fire- 
wood. With a bamboo stick the ground is broken and 
hills made, and thus the piece is planted, rather helter- 
skelter fashion. But after the plants begin to come up 
from the ground, the women and children are hence- 
forth busy nearly all day in the fields, and one rarely 
finds weedy gardens among these people. Another inter- 
esting feature of their farm life is the fact that the family 
chickens are daily brought along, together with the 
children, to the gardens, where one will find the women, 
down on their knees, weeding or cultivating with their 
crude instrument, the children on either side, helping, and 
the chickens about everywhere, picking up their living by 
snatching the unlucky worms from the upturned ground. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 139 


After our inspection, we returned to Lela, where eight 
priests were waiting to participate in the monthly recol- 
lection, which was to be conducted, this time by Father 
General. All these Fathers were from Lela and the neigh- 
borhood, and this short retreat was intended for them 
because they could not be present at the regular annual 
gathering to be held in Ndona at the end of March. I 
thought I needed a spiritual repair also, so I joined them. 
The retreat lasted until Ash Wednesday morning, and 
was concluded with a mission conference, during which 
the problems and difficulties of all the Flores missions 
were discussed. 

At nine o'clock the conference opened. Diyifferent re- 
ports on various themes were read, and discussion fol- 
lowed. It was a serious time for all. Before us was 
spread, as it were, the whole difficult problem of the mis- 
sion world — the problem of the workers and their work. 
At this time we came to realize most keenly the fact that 
God alone could give courage to the heart and strength to 
the shoulders of these missionaries. And on the other 
hand we realized that here were hosts of human souls 
waiting to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him, — 
souls to whom only the missionaries living among them 
could bring about this great comfort. 


140 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XVI 


Kotting, Nita, Maumere, Nele 


A showery trip to Kotting — The labors of Father Y ssel- 

dyk — The crowds at Nita — The old kapala — Mau- 

mere, the ‘stove’ of Flores — Nele and its beautiful Chris- 

tian life —- The story of Marie, the Christian —- Moang 
Kiwo, and the “‘great black hand.” 


Thursday (March 2) was the day appointed for a 
visit to the mission of Kotting, which is situated in the 
very heart of Flores. Father Mertens, the pastor (former- 
ly a missionary in Togoland, West Africa), had been on 
the retreat with us. When we awoke we found it to be 
raining, but in showers; and at eight o'clock, after the 
cessation of the downpour, a reception committee of fifty- 
one native horsemen lined up before the rectory entrance, 
presenting to our eyes a very attractive appearance. [hey 
reminded me of a troop of our United States Indians, with 
their banners and gay and rather gaudy attire, and their 
horses decorated with flowers and little bells. In order 
to make the proper impression, they rode through the 
kampong, where an excited and ever increasing crowd of 
people followed them. In the meantime our two convey- 
ances were ready, and we departed, in spite of the rain; for 
by this time a drizzle had again set in. Father General 
and Father deLange were in one buggy, a boy standing 
erect behind them. Father Meyer and I followed them, 
in a second buggy, with an attendant also in the rear. As 
we proceeded, the troop of native horsemen followed, 
which is customary here, the person in office or authority 
taking precedence, and the others following. In a half- 





Father Koeberl’s Famous Brass Band of Maumere 





Mission Church at Nobo, Flores 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 141 


hour’s time we came to a brook. It was very steep, and as 
the concrete bridge which had once spanned it had been 
swept away by the floods that follow heavy tropical rains, 
we found the crossing quite difficult. The penetrating 
rain had not ceased to fall, and when we alighted from our 
vehicles we were soaked to the skin. I do not know 
whether it was harder for us or for the buggy to cross: 
we went down and through and on and up, in order to 
reach the other side. Finally we made it, however, and 
from then on proceeded to Kotting along a fine road. 

At ten o'clock we reached the place and the church. 
the pastorie being nicely situated. The usual shouts of 
greeting arose from all sides, especially when we alighted 
and entered the church for a short adoration. A few na- 
tive songs followed, and Father Mertens addressed the 
congregation, after which we went into the rectory, de- 
lighted to find that the rain had ceased. 

Father Mertens is a successor to Father Vpgt, S.V.D., 
who came to Kotting after its establishment by a zealous 
Jesuit priest, Father Ysseldyk. This Father Ysseldyk 
- began the mission, as we have told elsewhere, when he was 
in the prime of his life; and left it, after incredible labors, 
as an old, worn-out man with snow-white hair. On his 
arrival, he found the place small and sparsely populated, 
the people uncivilized heathens, steeped in vice. “To-day 
the spacious church is surrounded by a neat village; and 
religion, while not eradicating all the faults of the people, 
has at least helped to elevate them. Kotting is noted for 
its large families; and everywhere the sterling Catholicity 
of the people gives evidence of Father Ysseldyk’s labors in 
years of excellent exhortations and carefully prepared cate- 
chetical instructions, —- years of kindness and of glowing 
charity. Brother deGroot, once of the papal army of 


142 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Pius LX, was his faithful companion. The memory of the 
priest and the Brother will always live at Kotting. 

We did not remain very long, but decided to inspect 
another of our stations in the neighborhood, —- Nita, — 
about twenty minutes’ ride to the southwest, where our 
Father Haarmann is pastor. The road that leads to this, 
the highest of all our stations in Central Flores, is excel- 
lent. It is about eight hundred feet above the sea-level 
here: Kotting is about six hundred. From the bush, to 
the right and left, curious onlookers peeped out at us with 
gaping wonderment. As we neared the town, a crowd 
of brown and black humanity —— adults and children — 
greeted us with cries and salutations, their deafening shouts 
continuing until we entered the church. After a visit to 
Our Lord in the tabernacle, we went to the rectory, where 
the usual welcoming celebration was given by the school- 
children. Songs, recitations, and dances continued even 
during our dinner on the veranda. ‘That was an unfor- 
gettable meal, prepared entirely by the natives. The 
Rapala, or chief, had given Father Haarmann a goat for the 
occasion. It was the first goat meat I had ever eaten, 
and was not so bad, after all! Here, also, I had the first 
taste of tuak, a kind of palm-wine, — really more like 
whiskey than wine; and I did not find it any too palatable. 

Toward five o'clock, Father General, with Fathers 
Mertens, Meyer, and deLange, left for Kotting. I re- 
mained at Nita with Father Haarmann, and we talked for 
four or five hours. He told me some of his experiences, 
and revealed some of the peculiar difficulties of his work — 
difficulties which I now found it easy to understand, since 
I had come, as it were, into personal contact with them. 

The night was cold; there was real mountain weather, 
and I slept well. With the morning (Friday) there came 
a sense of exhilaration which sent my thoughts back to 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 143 


the First Fridays at home, and to the preceding Thursday 
evenings which I always spent in the Belgian parish of 
St. John Berchmans in Chicago, hearing confessions in 
Polish. And the mass on this First Friday, on the moun- 
tain heights of Flores (there was exposition of the Blessed 
Sacrament also), seemed, literally, to be offered up on the 
very pinnacle of the universe! Children and people sang 
lustily, though without organ accompaniment (as a mat- 
ter of fact, there is hardly a church in Flores that possesses 
an organ); but I found all the melodies familiar. 

After Mass Father Haarmann and I returned to Kot- 
ting, where we were to join Father General and Father de- 
Lange, and to proceed in their company to our next station 
of Maumere. At Kotting we visited the school and found 
it in session (the boys attend in the morning, and the 
girls in the afternoon). Everywhere there were plentiful 
evidences of the successful efforts being made to lift these 
natives, through encouraging their exercise of their sheer 
strength of will and the application of God-given graces, 
until they become Catholics really worthy of the name. 
Words fail me to express my appreciation of the self-de- 
votion and self-abnegation of the religious workers. It 
is marvelous to see these brave men and women, the van- 
guard of Christ’s army, waging their ceaseless battle 
against the spirit of darkness and error, in order to bring 
these benighted souls under the standard of the Saviour, — 
asking no reward from the world, asking nothing but to 
be allowed to save souls for our Crucified Lord and Mas- 
ter! Oh! how poorly most of our efforts will appear 
against the toil and sacrifices of these noble souls! 

Maumere is on the north shore of Flores, twelve miles 
from Lela. On approaching it we heard the noise of 
firecrackers, —- a sure sign that in Maumere were to be 
found Chinese tokos (stores). After our first visit to the 


144 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


church we sat on the veranda, watching and listening to 
the children of the place, who sang for us. Maumere is 
said to be the oven of Flores, and is a far from healthful 
locality. As for our impressions, we were conscious of 
the utter absence of a breeze, and were tempted to feel 
that a special dose of quinine tablets must be for us as 
much a part of the general celebration as the dancing and 
singing of the children. 

At half past three o’clock in the afternoon we set 
off to Nele, which is situated in the mountain district east 
of Maumere, at a distance of about three miles. Father 
General and Father delLange went in the first conveyance, 
which was decorated with banners; and I followed them 
in a second, accompanied by a native boy. From Maumere 
the road leads east, through fertile farms, rich in cotton 
and tobacco fields. We met a few of the natives, who 
stopped to stare at us, making of themselves picturesque 
figures, with their strong well-built frames and white 
cloths about their loins. Their color ranged from light 
brunette to bronze, and many had very fine features. Nele 
seemed to me the most beautiful village I had seen in 
Flores. It numbers three thousand inhabitants, but there 
are other villages close by with three thousand more, so 
that this is really a parish of six thousand souls. The 
town boasts of only one street with the homes of the 
natives on the right and left; and these homes are sepa- 
rated from the road by a fence of twigs. All is in perfect 
order everywhere, and very clean. Children by the hun- 
dreds met us at the entrance of the village, laughing and 
calling out their welcome in shrill voices, as we went along 
the road. Then old and young came out, each saluting 
us imposingly by bowing to the ground, after which they 
followed us at a distance. The shooting of firecrackers on 
this day far outrivaled our own ‘Glorious Fourth’. Some 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 145 


of the people were singing, others shouting and yelling. 
And with these accompaniments we rode up to the school 
and the church which was a ‘“‘combination”’ building, the 
educational and religious functions being confined to one 
room, but separated from each other by a thin screen. 
There were First Friday devotions, with Benediction given 
by Father General. Not a fifth part of the crowd could 
get into the church. Father Koeberl, who had been ex- 
pecting us, was evidently very happy in the whole turn- 
out of affairs. He is no longer pastor of Nele, but he is 
bound to remain long responsible for much of its fine or- 
ganization. After devotions we went to the rectory, 
which is situated at a distance of some five minutes’ walk 
from the church, on the other side of the road, the way 
leading over a bridge, from which there is a wonderful 
ocean view. The father of the captain or chief of the vil- 
lage came out to see us. He was a rather remarkable old 
fellow as we looked upon him, clad in native attire and 
revealing a wonderful physique for his ninety years. All 
‘im all, I soon became deeply attracted to this place. I felt 
that there was about it the fervor, the sweetness, yes, even 
the sanctity, that must have attended the gatherings of the 
early Christians. Perhaps it was because the people were 
so attached to their priest, and because they had so many 
beautiful Catholic practices — all introduced by Father 
Koeberl. Every Saturday, at night, the prayers are re- 
cited in a body in the church; and on all other evenings 
warning is given by a gong, at seven o'clock and again fif- 
teen minutes later, whereupon all the inhabitants recite 
the Angelus and night prayers at home, following these 
with a hymn. It must be a real treat to pass along the 
street at that hour and hear the praises of God issuing 
forth from every house and hut upon the way. 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 10 


146 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


We left Nele reluctantly. On our way home we 
stopped, partly to admire the great sea in the distance. 
We also paid a visit, in passing, to the principal chief of 
these parts. Before his conversion, he had twelve wives 
and seventy-five children, all of whom are now Catholics. 
He was baptized by the Jesuits before the Fathers of the 
Society of the Divine Word took the mission in charge. 
Father Sevink, S.J., came to the place during a time of an 
epidemic, in order that he might at least baptize the dying 
children. The parish register gives the following account 
of this his first appearance among them: 

“I set out in the hope of finding some of the heathen 
folk who, seeing Death raging round them, might be hap- 
py to receive the glad message of the Gospel, or allow. me 
to give the Sacrament of Baptism to their dying children. 
I took a few medicines with me, hoping to find them use- 
ful as a means toward the healing of both bodies and souls. 
On my first visit, two adults asked to be baptized; and in 
two or three visits, I baptized eight hundred children. At 
the same time, the adults, both men and women, began 
to study the catechism; and in three months I had two 
thousand Christians.”’ 

These neophytes were cared for, from time to time, 
by a missionary from Maumere; and when Father Koe- 
berl went to Nele in 1920, as its first pastor, he found a 
parish record of 3,103 Catholics, with two thousand more 
in surrounding localities. “Through his efforts the church 
was built, the inhabitants contributing most of the labor 
for it. And today one beholds a truly Catholic communi- 
ty, exhibiting a zeal which ‘“‘staggers belief,’’ as Father 
Koeberl declared to us. He distributed holy Communion 
191,000 times, last year, and heard 37,000 confessions. 
Moreover, there are more than a hundred young girls who 
receive Our Lord daily. To illustrate the fervor of these 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 147 


young virgins, Father Koeberl told us the story of “Marie, 
the Christian,’’ who at one time became suddenly stricken 
with illness. He had just finished Mass, one morning, and 
was saying his Office before the tabernacle in the empty 
church, when he heard a sound behind him. A young 
girl knelt at the communion rail, her eyes fastened plead- 
ingly upon him. 

‘““My dear Marie,’ he said, recognizing her and noting 
how she trembled, ‘‘you are too ill to be here —’’ 

“Father, please give me my dear Jesus.”’ 

The priest hesitated. 

“Give me my Jesus,’ she repeated. ‘‘Since my 
first holy Communion, I have received Him every day until 
now. I cannot do without Him.”’ 

“But Marie, what have you done? You areill. You 
might have died on the way.” 

“Then I should have died for love of Him — He 
knows I am not afraid of death.”’ 

Father Koeberl yielded. Putting on surplice and stole 
he gave her holy Communion. The girl smiled happily, 
but the priest, observing the expression on her face, be- 
came alarmed: he seemed to feel that death was imminent. 
He began administering the Last Sacraments, preparing 
her for her last journey. Meanwhile, her parents had 
come, searching for her, and as the priest bade her return 
to her home with them, she looked at him anxiously. 

““Go in peace, Marie,’’ he said. “I myself will bring 
your Jesus to you, every day, until you are better.”’ 

She went away, satisfied; but she had received her 
Friend for the last time on earth. That night He called 
her to His chosen ranks in heaven. 


148 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XVII 


Ili Station 


The notable Church of the Sacred Heart — The three 
Radjas —- The steamer Van Outhorn arrives. 


At two o'clock on the afternoon of the same day 
(Friday, March 4) we set out for Ili, where Father Grot- 
mann is now pastor. We drove along the shore, then 
southward, up into the mountain district, passing through 
Baru — a village which is composed entirely of Moham- 
medans. ‘These people live in houses of a peculiar shape, 
and their attire is also different from that of the other 
natives in this section. Father Grotmann received us in 
the street, and, while Ili is not so nicely arranged as Nele, 
the houses being more widely scattered, there were never- 
theless a number of people to await us, with him. A(fter- 
wards, thousands of natives from this and surrounding 
parishes came to greet us. “The Church of the Sacred Heart 
to which we proceeded, followed by the jubilant crowd, 
was of special interest, and the account of its erection is 
worth reading. It was built by Brother Theophorus, in 
1920. In the short time of thirty-five (!) days, this 
energetic and industrious son of Poland erected its frame- 
work, the only help he had being that of the totally un- 
skilled natives. And yet, the building is of impressive 
dimensions, being one hundred and fifteen feet in length, 
forty-five feet in width, and thirty feet in height. The 
formation of the walls (made of woven bamboo) and 
the grass roof would lead one to mistake it for a school; 
but upon entering, the devotional atmosphere of the in- 


Nh 8 





lu, Flores 


iangwu 


in R 


’s Residence 


issionary 


Church and M 





The Spirit-house of Boa Wac¢ 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 149 


terior almost forces one’s thoughts upwards to God in fer- 
vent prayer. 

With the exception of the cement floor, the entire 

building, beams and rafters included, is built of heavy 
kollywood. It was necessary to use this exclusively in 
the structure itself, for in Flores white ants voraciously 
attack all kinds of wood and, with few exceptions, reduce 
both boards and timber to sawdust. Even this kolly- 
wood will not withstand their ravages, unless the rings in 
the wood denote an age of seventy to one hundred years. 
In spite of all efforts to secure the soundest wood possible, 
the ants gradually creep into these hard timbers, and 
destroy all the inner, softer part. While this destructive 
work is going on, a building appears, outwardly, to be 
as strong as ever, but the ants continue their tunneling un- 
til all is hollow inside. 
The door-frames, however, of the Sacred Heart 
Church, are made of wood which is of a reddish-brown 
color. This wood is soft, and therefore especially adapted 
for carving, while for some reason the ants do not seem 
to care for it. “These frames were cut from thick planks, 
formerly in use in the pagan temple at Ili. When this 
temple was dismantled, it marked the end of the last pagan 
shrine in the kingdom of Kangai, Flores. Lumber taken 
from this temple was also used in building the priest’s 
house. ‘The dismantling was brought about by a local 
decision; but this is another story, and one well worth 
telling. Let Father Haarmann give it in his own words, 
for it was he who conceived and executed the plan! 

“Cautiously and circumspectly I spoke of my projects 
to the cook and house boy, who in turn carried the news 
to the school-teacher and to some of their friends. Finally, 
the proposal reached the ears of the Mohammedan king of 


150 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the territory; and after all this news-bearing, I became sat- 
isfied that no one had any unfavorable comment to make. 

‘Then I succeeded in bringing about a convocation 
before my house, receiving the people hospitably, keeping 
them in good spirits for a while, and in fine, performing 
all the honors of the day. After that, I casually invited 
my visitors to stroll with me down to the village center. 
There, before us, lay a fine open space. The houses of 
the natives, making up the town of Ili, formed a circle 
about this plot, which resembled a real amphitheater. It 
was the accustomed gathering-place of the people, and 
there they often had their games and dancing. In this 
ideal location, and commanding the most important site, 
stood the pagan temple (it was really a votive chapel, since 
a chieftain had erected it, in thanksgiving to the gods for 
the recovery of one of his wives). Resting upon wooden 
pillars, three or four feet above the ground, the building 
was about twenty-five feet square, with woven walls and 
a floor of bamboo. ‘There was no ceiling, as the straw roof 
rose to a steep point, directly from the walls. Strength- 
ened by heavy rafters and beams, it was sturdy enough 
to accommodate fifty persons. There was nothing artistic 
about it, for its only ornamentation consisted of some 
carved work on the four pillars which supported the altar 
(to-day these same posts are used in the Church of the 
Sacred Heart, to support the banners). 

‘Now this temple had become a matter of great con- 
cern to me: first, because it was a heathen temple; and 
secondly, because I felt it could be made to form a splendid 
lumber supply for my house. Therefore I was desirous to 
see my little plan(to gain possession of the structure) suc- 
ceed; and I made every effort to this end. But that this 
achievement was not such an easy undertaking as I had 
imagined, the reader may infer. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 151 


“One must remember that these people come, in time, 
to weave all sorts of legends and stories about such a 
shrine, which makes it very precious in their estimation; 
and the temple of Ili was no exception to the rule. If 
this building had collapsed, no one in the village would 
have attempted to salvage the smallest piece of wood; for 
they believe that, if such a thing should happen, terrible 
punishments would be visited by the offended god upon 
the malefactor. According to their version, the earth 
would open up, swallowing the vandal; droughts and 
plagues of mice would harass the land, bringing famine 
and pestilence; storms and cloudbursts would destroy the 
harvest; evil spirits would persecute the tribe and mete 
out all sorts of punishments. Although IJ have delighted, 
from childhood, in such stories, nevertheless, | was not 
at this time in the least disconcerted by them. “Thank 
God, I had been given grace to choose a most fitting day 
for this conference; and it was the events of the day, them- 
selves, which, as I had all along trusted, brought all my 
plans to a successful issue. “The day was the feast of 
_Corpus Christi, and this Corpus Christi of 1920 will al- 
ways be a memorable one for me. After I had seen to it 
that all hands had been abundantly feasted and otherwise 
entertained, [I organized with my Christians a Corpus 
Christi procession. Out from the chapel we proceeded, 
marching in solemn array all about the central plot, and 
particularly about the old pagan temple. A throng of 
Christians and pagans, clad in their brightest garments, 
with here and there a few Mohammedans, gathered on all 
sides, to look on. When the sacred monstrance, with the 
Sacramental Presence, passed, all noted the awe and hom- 
age which the Christians showed; and a spirit of rever- 
ential wonder and mystery soon pervaded the whole as- 
semblage of the people. 


152 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


“After the procession, I took occasion to address the 
throng at some length, first telling them of the significance 
of the day and of our procession, uncovering to them some- 
what the wonder of the Incarnation and showing how all 
peoples and things are bound, finally, to fall in obeisance 
before this great God and Lord, who becomes man in order 
that we, in a sense, may become gods, ruling and dominat- 
ing over the powers and forces of nature, being made sub- 
ject to the Lord of lights alone. Then I went on to show 
how the worshipers of this true King could never, in 
any wise, be subject to the terrors and tabus in which they 
believed. At last I called upon them to offer to the one 
true God their fealty and devotion, since in honoring Him 
solely they would fulfill every obligation of heaven and 
earth, and could therefore look for protection from all 
the.powers of evil and for succor and blessing in all the 
affairs of life. 

“And it was as though the Spirit of the Lord had 
certainly moved them to strange determinations and to 
strange resolutions —— to things they had never thought of 
before. For the chief men of the village drew apart for a 
while; then, later, being apparently influenced to an ex- 
treme degree by the sacred things they had seen and heard, 
the elders approached me and signified their intention to 
subscribe themselves to and to indorse a document which 
they prevailed upon me to draw up, in accordance with 
their desires and requests. The document read as fol- 
lows:. 
“ “To-day we give over to the missionary of Ilt our 
temple, Woga Gort,..to dismantle it and raze it to the 
ground. At the same time we give to hima plot of ground 
containing two hundred acres, with all the trees and shrubs 
thereon. It ts conceded to the missionary unconditionally, 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 153 


without one cent of payment. Sawe Baa; this is our wish 
and will.’ 


“This concession was agreed upon by the entire as- 
semblage, and fully a dozen signatures were affixed to the 
document.’ | 


We found the sanctuary especially beautiful, with 
seven steps leading up to the main altar. The building 
itself holds twenty-five hundred people, and on Sundays 
it is crowded to its full capacity at both Masses. After 
our inspection, Father deLange made up his mind to re- 
main with Father Grotmann until the following day — 
a fortunate decision, for there were ovet a thousand com- 
municants. The other visitors returned to Maumere. 

On the morning of March 5 I said High Mass at half 
past six o'clock, and gave Benediction afterward. In the 
tropics High Mass is offered early, for the heat of the fol- 
lowing hours is excessive. Father Fries had come over from 
Lela; and he delivered to the people a Sikkanese sermon 
which sounded quite eloquent: but it was all SikRanese to 
me! After Mass three radjas came to greet Father General. 
The Radja of Sikka appeared, in modern European or 
American dress; the Radja of Nita wore a native sarong 
and a modern coat; and the Radja of Kangia was attired in 
the picturesque garb of his country, his coat-buttons being 
of pure gold. It was a scene to remind one forcibly of the 
coming of the three Magi. On occasions such as this I 
felt rather uncomfortable at not being able to talk the 
language of the country, even though we were told, for 
our consolation, that it is an indication of superiority if 
a stranger refrains from talking with such men, except 
through an interpreter. 


154 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


At eight o'clock we had an agreeable surprise. It 
was ‘‘boat day,’ always a great event in these remote 
corners of the world; and Father Glanemann, a veteran 
of the African missions, arrived from the Manggarai dis- 
trict, on the steamer Van Outhorn. His station at Ruteng 
is about 4000 feet above sea-level. “There is only a nar- 
row trail leading from Ruteng down to Reo, which is 
the port; and it took the Father eleven days to reach Mau- 
mere. He looked worn and emaciated, for his field is an 
arduous one, and there was only one priest and one 
Brother helping him. He had not yet heard that Pius XI 
had been elected Pope. Soon afterward, Fathers deLange 
and Grotmann came from Ili, with Fathers Mertens and 
Koch from Kotting, for a private interview with Father 
General. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 155 


CHAPTER XVIII 
At Larantuka 


In our most eastern station on Flores — The “Confrerta”’ 
of Portuguese times —- The two streets —- Famous vol- 
canoes —- On sacred ground — The terrible epidemic of 
1918 — Deaths of Fathers Karsten and Baak, S.V.D., of 
Father van der Velden, S.J., and of our Brother Vincent 
— The Sisters’ big boarding-school —- Domestic science 
and agriculture —- The native dance — Fine disposition 
of the people — Precious relics. 


At five o'clock in the afternoon we boarded the Van 
Outhorn, which had remained at Maumere all day, to sail 
over night to Larantuka, the most eastern district of 
Flores. It was eighty miles away, the distance being the 
same as that from Chicago to Milwaukee. ‘The steamer 
did not leave until nine o’clock, and we slept peacefully 
as we traveled. At six o'clock in the morning, on Mon- 
day, our boat glided through a narrow strait into the 
Larantuka harbor, in another hour reaching the port, 
where a crowd of children and grown people, ‘black robes’ 
and Sisters, gathered on the shore. 

We went to the church in a real feast-day procession, 
led by the famous Confreria (a religious society of Por- 
tuguese memory) and by an actual brass band, one of the 
very few bands that exist in the entire archipelago. The 
music was exceptionally good. While we said Mass in 
the church, the children sang to the accompaniment of 
an organ; and this was another rare occurrence in this part 
of the world. A reception was tendered to us after Mass, 
and in the afternoon I went with Fathers Hundler and 


156 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Koch (both of whom were formerly missionaries in Afri- 
ca) to the cemetery of Larantuka, at the foot of Mount 
Ili Mandiri (the mountain itself is about 6000 feet above 
sea-level). There we knelt at the graves of those mis- 
sionaries who had passed to their reward during the great 
epidemic of influenza which occurred in 1918: Fathers 
Baak, Karsten, van der Velden (the latter was a Jesuit 
who had remained at Larantuka to aid in familiarizing 
the newcomers with their mission labors) and our Brother 
Vincent. 

The scourge spread rapidly through Larantuka and 
adjoining villages, and to the boarding-school for the 
boys; and the Fathers were kept busy in attendance upon 
the sufferers. In one day our Father Karsten administered 
the last sacraments to five boys; and then came the moment 
when he himself fell a victim. Brother Vincent, who 
was also busy nursing the boys, next became ill. The dis- 
ease followed its course swiftly, and, in spite of the faith- 
ful ministrations of the Dutch Franciscan Sisters (who 
came over from the girls’ boarding-school of which they 
were in charge), both Father and Brother died on the 
twenty-first of December. Father William Baak, S.V.D., 
was the most active and vigorous of them all. He was 
a man filled with zeal and with ambitious plans for the 
future extension of the mission on Flores. But he, too, 
succumbed to the disease. Both he and Father van der 
Velden were sick at the same time, in adjoining rooms; 
and when they realized that the end was approaching, 
Father van der Velden said it was evidently the Lord’s 
will that he should not return to his confréres in Java, but 
should rather lay down the burden of life and be buried 
in his chosen field; thereupon he proposed to Father Baak 
that they give each other final absolution, since they could 
be heard through the door connecting their sickrooms. 





f Larantuka 


1es 0 


1sslonar 


. 


Last Resting-place of the M 


BAI 3e jodeyD epny aL 








IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 157 


The absolutions were given, and during the latter part 
of the afternoon of December 22, Father Baak began to 
have periods of delirium. The good Sister who faithfully 
attended him subsequently reported that, during these 
periods, the Father’s incoherent statements were filled with 
intimations of plans and projects for the future welfare of 
the mission. At last, after midnight, when a period of 
rationality permitted, Father Baak asked for the Holy 
Viaticum. | 

“But how shall this be, Father,’ the attendant Sister 
questioned, “‘since Father van der Velden is also sick unto 
death and can not leave his bed?’ 

“You yourself, dear Sister, shall bring me the Sacred 
Host. Since the death of Brother Vincent, it has reposed 
in a room near by. I will tell you where to find the key 
which unlocks the tabernacle.” 

So, with trembling hands, the good nun brought to 
the Father the Blessed Sacrament, with the ciborium, the 
burse, corporal, purificator, etc. “Thereupon Father Baak 
administered the Viaticum to himself, saying all the Latin 
prayers according to the rite, and even remembering to 
make use of the purificator. Before midnight of the then 
dawning day the Father had gone to his reward. 

Meantime a telegram had been sent to Father deLange, 
at Ndona, notifying him of the deaths of Father Karsten 
and Brother Vincent, and advising that the precarious 
condition of the others called for immediate assistance. 
On the morning of the twenty-third, Father deLange ar- 
rived, by government boat, and at once hastened to the 
mission, reaching it just in time to administer the last rites 
and Extreme Unction to Father van der Velden. The 
good Father died within an hour. He was the last Jesuit 
of the band which first arrived at Larantuka (in 1884) to 
be buried on Flores, and he was the only priestly victim 


158 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


of this epidemic to receive full funeral rites. The good 
Sisters of the girls’ school stood staunchly through all 
this terrible time, and their own household was kept 
practically free from the disease. Of the boys’ boarding- 
school, however, three native teachers and twenty pupils 
succumbed. 

After offering prayers for the repose of the souls of 
these martyrs to duty, and invoking their help and pro- 
tection for the work of this difficult part of the mission 
field, we went home through Larantuka’s other street — 
there are but two, and they run parallel. We went to the 
cemetery by way of that which follows close to the moun- 
tain, and returned along the ‘seashore’ or main street. It 
was at once easy to note the predominance of ‘black Portu- 
guese’ in this mission, for the people appeared altogether 
different from the natives of other parts of Flores, — in 
features, general expression, clothing, etc; and it is also 
true that many of them have Portuguese names. As we 
arrived at the shore, our attention was called to the two 
volcanoes situated at the southeastern corner of Flores — 
Lobetobi Laki-Laki (7500 feet high) and Lobetobi Per- 
ampuan (7000 feet high). Both are close together, and 
one is called the male and the other the female by the na- 
tives. ‘The Fathers pointed out the various islands lying 
before us, beyond the strait and harbor, mentioning es- 
pecially Adonara and Solor Islands. There, on Solor, I 
was told, was the first residence of the old Portuguese 
Dominican Fathers —— the pioneer missionaries of the East 
Indies. The Portuguese Dominicans worked very hard 
on the islands of Adonara and Solor, and also labored on 
Alor and Lomblem. When they left, the population prac- 
tically reverted to paganism; but those who still retain 
memories of the ancient Faith are begging for mission- 
aries to come over and make them Catholics. On the 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 159 


island of Lomblem, Fathers Bode and Hundler made a 
good beginning in 1920, and, with the willing assistance 
of the natives, erected a substantial church. 

Here and there in Larantuka I noticed old pieces of 
cannon lying about, — relics of Portuguese glory. But 
later on, in 1859, as we have learned, Flores was given 
over to Holland; and when the Dutch Jesuit Fathers took 
charge of the mission work, it seems that they cherished 
particularly just this section of Flores Island, erecting here 
a neat church, about 200 feet long, and a splendid board- 
ing-school. The present school building, which accom- 
modates one hundred and eighty boys, is in charge of our 
Fathers and Brothers of the Society of the Divine Word: 
there is another school for girls, registering about two 
hundred students, which is conducted by the Dutch Fran- 
ciscan Sisters of Heythuizen.t The radja of the district 
is a Catholic; and I came to feel that everything in public 
life in Larantuka added to the idea of prevalent Christiani- 
ty, though the immediate neighborhood was still pagan. 

Father Worstbrock and I said Mass, the next morning, 
in the Sisters’ large convent. Father General and Father 
John Van Cleef arrived a half-hour later, and we were all 
invited to be guests at a very creditable entertainment given 
by the girls of the institute. There is a chapter of mission 
history waiting to be written within the walls of this ex- 
tensive place; for several of the religious in the community 
have abode in this one spot for thirty or forty years. Some 
left Holland in 1879, and journeyed around the Cape of 
Good Hope in a three-masted sailing-boat. At the time 
there were six Sisters, two Jesuit Fathers, and two Jesuit 
Brothers on the vessel, and the trip from Holland to Flores 
took three and a half months; whereas a steamer from 


1 These Sisters left Flores in April, 1925, to be replaced by the 
Missionary Sisters, Servants of the Holy Ghost. 


160 ~ ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Holland can now make the port of Flores in six weeks, 
via the Suez Canal. 

After Mass in the convent, on the eighth, the visitors. 
inspected the various departments of the girls’ school. 
There are two hundred girls in attendance, with nineteen 
Sisters to teach and supervise the work. Everywhere neat- 
ness and order prevailed. A complete domestic course is 
provided, which necessarily includes training in agriculture 
and cattle breeding (since the women of Flores are princi- 
pally concerned in these matters) ; and the girls seem very 
happy and contented. 

Southwest of Larantuka, between the two villages of 
Waibalum and Lewolere, there is a station in which our 
Father Strieter serves as pastor. When we reached this 
place, we found that a large crowd of mountain folk had 
come to the village, a distance of at least five miles from 
their homes, to give us a welcome. They looked more 
like Polynesians than any of the people we had hitherto 
met, the men being smaller and stronger than the natives 
living along the coast. “There were thirty-two women 
among them who were intending, later in the day, to go 
to the Larantuka station, and there to perform a native 
dance for us. “They were beautifully dressed in native at- 
tire, and many held in their hands native spears of a 
special description, decorated with feathers of all colors, 
while woven crowns of goat’s hair decorated their heads. 
Before we left, Father Strieter and a few members of the 
Confreria sang the Laudate Dominum, to a queer, melan- 
choly, haunting melody which has come down as an in- 
heritance with other hymns, from the old Portuguese mis- 
sionaries. ‘Though it rained that afternoon, the dancers 
did not fail to appear, and we watched them in their odd 
performances, for more than an hour. They formed a 
line, one behind the other. In the left hand each held a 


BeyNjuvIeyT je S[IIH IAl}eN OJ [OOYIS-Zurpivog }eeIyH Iseyy jo 
spunoiy) oy} UO palquiessy ‘(pur][OH) uszInyJAVH JO Si19}sIgG UPOSTOUvIG jo Aj}IUNUIIOD 94 





BYNULILT Je SJURITUNMIUIOD jsI1q 





IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 161 


feathered spear, and about their ankles they wore little 
tinkling bells. With the exception of six, all these women 
and girls were Christians, and they wore medals of the 
Blessed Virgin around their necks, strung with pearls 
which they had bought from Chinese tokos. 

Another station, north of Larantuka, is Tengah, 
where Father Terheyden resides as pastor. We spent some 
time at this place, on Thursday, March 9. It is situated 
quite close to the straits of Flores, and the people seemed 
favorable to Catholicity. 

Returning to Larantuka, we were shown the precious 
treasures of the church from old Portuguese times — sil- 
ver, gold, and ivory. Now, just as in former days, these 
treasures are scrupulously guarded by members of the 
Confreria. “They are precious relics, indeed; and scarcely 
any ordinary inducement, I was told, could persuade the 
people to part with them. In our Techny Museum we 
have some of the old ivory corpuses of crucifixes brought 
to Flores by the Portuguese missionaries of other days. 
And here, even to this day, the litanies and some prayers 
are still recited in the Portuguese language by the people in 
the surrounding kampongs. 

To illustrate early Christianity in Larantuka, there is 
a grotto near Ai Lolok, on Timor, which is a place of 
great veneration. To reach it one has to climb a steep 
rocky slope, hanging on to the shrubbery for dear life. 
When one enters the grotto one cannot see anything at 
first, but presently all becomes clearer. From above there 
are some small openings to let the light through; rain 
cannot enter, they say, or at any rate but few drops, 
whenever the water cannot get away fast enough down the 
slope. In the grotto, on four posts, is a box, five feet long 
and about three feet wide. Nobody is allowed to touch 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II ek 


162 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the articles which are to be found within it. There 1s a 
crucifix, a statue of the Blessed Virgin, a statue of St. 
Anthony, and some others which cannot be recognized. 
The presence of these articles in this hidden place shows 
that, about four centuries ago, when the Portuguese gov- 
erned these islands, some priests must have been there, al- 
though there are no written records to prove the fact. Yet, 
on Good Friday the people of the district in which this 
vast cave is located fast all day, and their Easter celebration 
is also held within the grotto. At this time they butcher 
buffaloes and pigs, and dance and sing, day and night, for 
eight days. And this festival is also the occasion for many 
marriages. 

_ Did the ancestors of these people hide their religious 
services from the eyes of the Holland government, which 
forbade Catholic priests to come to the islands, and pro- 
hibited all Catholic worship? ‘The Portuguese records 
were lost by fire, in Dilly (Timor), so that we cannot 
speak with certainty on these matters. 

It may be added that the main grotto is sufficiently 
spacious to permit thousands of people to congregate with- 
in it at the same time. Some of its supporting rocks are 
like pillars, and where these are close together they sepa- 
rate the great central chamber from other parts of the cave. 
But by passing between these pillars access is had to more 
interior chambers, which are, however, much darker and 
narrower than the great entrance hall. It is evident that 
nothing, anywhere through the whole subterranean area 
(save the great box and its contents), has been touched by 
human hands. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 163 


CHAPTER XIX 


‘In Perils of Waters” 


Starting out by sea —- On board the Morning Star — 

The meaning of the few dark clouds —- The breaking of 

the storm — Anxiety and illness —- The qutet courage of 
the man from Stkka — Death imminent. 


March tenth saw us ready to return to the central 
station of Ndona, our visitation on Flores being prac- 
tically finished, with the exception of a few stations be- 
tween Lela and Ndona. 

Let me confess that, of all the dangers which St. Paul 
mentioned in his epistle, the one I dreaded most, on leav- 
my home in Techny, was that of the “‘perils of waters’ or 
“perils of sea.’’ In his second letter to the Corinthians, 
the Apostle describes the fatigues to which he was contin- 
ually exposed on his journeys. Every year, on Sexagesi- 
ma Sunday, Holy Mother Church draws our attention to 
his experiences; but to appreciate the picture drawn by 
this great lover of souls, one must have shared a mission- 
ary’s troubles and have felt all a missionary’s perplexities. 

I did not dream that I was about to face, along the 
southern coast of this island of Flores, the one thing I 
feared most. We had expected to make our way over the 
eighty miles between us and Ndona by land, which meant 
a difficult four days’ journey. The Fathers and Brothers 
were to begin their retreat at Ndona, on March 25, after 
which Father General had planned that we should go to 
Timor, proceeding thence to Australia by way of Macas- 
sar (Celebes) . 


164 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


The morning on which we were to set out for Ndona 
found us in the midst of a terrific and incessant rainfall. 
This continued until, on the second day, word came to us 
from Maumere that the horses and carriers which were to 
meet us could not leave, as nearly all the bridges in the 
mountain country had been washed away and the roads 
were in such a miserable state that the route we had meant 
to follow could not even be so much as considered for 
another two weeks. 

What were we to do? ‘The next steamer would not 
pass Larantuka for a month, but the retreats had been ar- 
ranged and we must get to Ndona without fail. Laran- 
tuka station was equipped with a little motor-boat, in 
which the missionaries were accustomed to go on their pe- 
riodical visits to places near by on the coast. When the pos- 
sible use of the boat was mentioned, some of the Fathers 
thought it would be dangerous to attempt to make the 
trip with it, for only once had any one ever ventured on 
the long stretch from Larantuka to Endeh, and so hazard- 
ous had it been that all agreed it should never be tried 
again. Even the Dutch colonial authorities had never 
dared to take so long a journey by motor-boat on the open 
sea. But we continued to talk the matter over, for ne- 
cessity seemed to compel us to make the venture. Finally, 
we decided that we must go by the Bintang Laut (Morn- 
ing Star), as the motor-boat was called, to Lela, and 
thence to Endeh. If all went well, we could reach Lela in 
about twelve hours; and Father deLange confidently re- 
marked ‘“‘Het zal wel loopen’’, or as we should say in 
America: “‘It will be O.K.”’ 

But this is a favorite expression among the mission- 
aries, and Father deLange’s words were not to be carried 
to a happy conclusion. 


BYNUPILT JO [OOYIS-SuIpieOg {S[IIN 94} UI SSP[D PITQquIeSsy YIM WooI[OOyIS 








Dormitory of the Girls’ Boarding-school of Larantuka. A mat and a cushion on the 
simplest of cot frames make up the entire requirements for a bed. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 165 


On Friday morning, March 10, we arose early, offered 
our Masses, and were ready to leave at about four o'clock. 
Every personal preparation had been made for our depart- 
ure, and provisions were finally placed on the Bintang 
Laut. 

I cannot say that I anticiptaed this trip with much 
pleasure, for, during the night the torrent had become a 
veritable Niagara Falls, and the fact that so many looked 
with disfavor on the journey caused me a few mental 
qualms. In offering my Mass I again turned and recited 
the oration pro navigantibus, and in addition vowed that 
I would offer the Holy Sacrifice for all the priests and reli- 
gious in purgatory, if our trip should turn out fortunately. 

Accompanied by our brethren and a crowd of curious 
natives, big and little, we went out on the wharf and 
boarded the motor-boat. ‘There were nine passengers al- 
together, —— five priests, a Brother, two sailors from Sik- 
ka, and a boy who acted as a sort of assistant mechani- 
cian. Behind us trailed the ‘‘Leo’’, a life boat, which 
certainly retarded our progress but was worth that sac- 
rifice, considering the fact that we had but two life-belts 
with us. 

For a time the sky cleared and grew brighter, and 
confidently we sang the Ave Maris Stella, as we watched 
Larantuka recede in the distance. Each one then quietly 
said his office or beads in honor of our Lady, ‘“‘Star of the 
Sea’, after which all proceeded to admire the picturesque 
scenery presented by the blending of the waters with the 
beautiful islands that seemed to give a welcome to the 
passers-by. 

It was one o'clock when we turned the southeast cape 
of Flores and struck out, westward, over the open sea. 
We held our course, however, so as never to be more than 
two miles from shore. The view that met our gaze was 


166 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


magnificent, as we passed from the sea lane which we had 
been traversing in the morning, out into the broad expanse 
of ocean. Three or four colossal rocks, only a few hun- 
dred yards from one another, reared themselves above the 
surge. To our right, the turn in the sea lane of Flores 
was marked by the towering volcanoes I have already 
mentioned. Nestled at the foot of these volcanoes were a 
number of native villages, the inhabitants of which make 
their living chiefly by fishing. Every one of them, our 
missionaries assured us, was thoroughly well-disposed to- 
ward the Christian religion. All along the water's edge 
we saw their beroks or fishing smacks. 

So far, we had had exceptionaally smooth sailing, 
and if I thought at all of the lugubrious prophecies of 
those we had left behind, I felt as if I ought to congratu- 
late myself. Little did I dream of what was to happen in 
a short time. 

Things began at one o'clock. Father General, who 
had not, on any of our previous trips, shown the slightest 
symptoms of sickness, was now the first to succumb, and 
became very ill; and none of us were particularly joyful, 
once the waves began to rock our boat. Museria est vita 
hominis super mare — ‘“‘miserable is the life of man on 
the sea’’ —— expressed our sentiments exactly, when we 
realized we were not likely to reach Lela before midnight. 

Twice we landed. The first time, we dropped anchor 
for half an hour at Pantay Oa, not far fram the kampong 
of Heva, in order to give our little motor a rest. Three 
hours later we ran into a quiet bay, because the pounding 
of the waves had caused our motor to behave badly. 

At this point (5.30 p.m.) several of our party took 
some refreshment, but anxiety about the hours ahead made 
their meal flavorless. Father General was too ill to eat, 
and | fasted voluntarily, in order to escape seasickness. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 167 


In continuing our voyage, we steered a course as close 
to shore as safety permitted, in order to avoid the strong 
current. The sun set, and tropical darkness, which knows 
but little twilight, enshrouded us. A little after seven 
o'clock, the sea, without any warning, suddenly became 
rougher. There came a few puffs of warm wind, a few 
drops of rain, and then the storm broke, accompanied with 
such a downpour that the ocean seemed to have been in- 
verted! The waves rose higher and higher, and like a 
plaything, like a cork in the turbulent waters, our boat 
was tossed now this way, now that. Every once in a 
while a wave broke over us, leaving us breathless. With 
quiet courage, the man from Sikka steered away from the 
coast, in order to escape the greater danger of being dashed 
against the rocks or reefs. 

We held to the westward course, hoping that the storm 
would abate: but, instead, it became even more furious, 
and the waves were terrifying. Now we began to grow 
uneasy. Particularly were we concerned for Father Gen- 
~ eral, who was sitting on one side of the boat, huddled up 
and in utter misery. From the very beginning we had 
silently been imploring the good God to help us; but as 
the situation grew worse, and indeed, with death staring 
us in the face, Father Hundler began the sorrowful mys- 
teries of the rosary. How earnestly came those words from 
our lips: ‘“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sin- 
ners, now and at the hour of our death.” 

The hour of our death! The words stood out before 
us in bold relief. This might be our hour! Priests, Broth- 
er, men — all might come within a few moments to the 
end of our earthly efforts, far from home and kindred! 
Had we not, but two short years ago, read of the mis- 
sionary bishop who went down in the Bay of Biscay, 
with twelve of his missionary priests —- Fathers of the 


168 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Holy Ghost — on their way to the African missionary 
fields? Sorely indeed had they been needed, and sorely 
were they missed. This fate was now confronting us, 
and sure to be ours unless the storm abated. 

We came to the end of the sorrowful mysteries, but the 
storm still raged as furiously as ever, the waves beat as 
mercilessly. Our motor, however, was obeying so well 
that we felt we were making progress, and that we must 
be near Bola, where we were to spend the night. 

“My Jesus, mercy!’’ I said, in a loud voice. And the 
others answered as loudly and as earnestly: ‘“‘Sweet Heart 
of Mary, be my salvation!” 

“O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I put my trust in Thee,”’ 
{ cried; and they joined me with “‘O Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
have mercy on us!”’ 

Seldom in our lives had we mingled ejaculations so 
prayerfully with the rosary as we did that terrible, that 
never-to-be-forgotten night of peril on the sea! 

At last, far off in the western sky, there seemed to 
be a slight clearing, and we could distinguish the hamlets 
along the shore. Picture our surprise and our disappoint- 
ment when we found that our little boat had, in spite of 
all its efforts, moved hardly a hundred feet from the local- 
ity in which the storm had overtaken us. Obviously, it 
was useless to continue this battle with the storm and 
the waves. We found ourselves, before a highly precipitous 
and rocky wall, from which many sharp coral reefs pro- 
jected into the water. God’s kindness and mercy had in- 
deed kept us safe, or we should long since have been 
dashed to pieces upon these ruthless obstructions. 

The Brother and the helmsman exchanged a few 
words; and then, as quickly as he could, the helmsman 
turned the boat about and made a quick dash for the bay 
we had left the previous evening, there to seek shelter and 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 169 


safety. The storm continued, though not so furiously. But 
a new danger now confronted us. The “Leo” was filled 
with water; indeed, the tiny vessel was entirely submerged. 

“Cut the ropes and let it go!’’ cried one or two who 
saw that is was sinking and might draw our motor-boat 
down with it. 

But others opposed the idea of abandoning the trailer. 
These looked upon the Leo as a life-saver, for its weight 
of water had steadied our motor-boat during the storm, 
and had certainly held it back from the rocks toward 
which we had been steering. 

Yet, in spite of this, it seemed such a hindrance that 
a knife was already on its way to sever the ropes that 
bound it, when the helmsman intervened. With a mighty 
effort he pulled the little boat up to ours, then seized it 
by the prow and turned it over. Thus emptied of at least 
a quarter of its load of water, the Leo was saved. 

After retracing our course for an hour or so, we no- 
ticed that we had missed the bay that was our goal, and 
had to start westward again. Then another misfortune 
confronted us —- our motor stopped; but we were only 
too happy that this had not occurred in the midst of the 
tempest, for then our cause would have been hopeless. 
Fully an hour was consumed in getting the brave little 
engine into order, so that we could make our way inside 
the sheltered bay. 

Now, gradually, the rain ceased. The sky cleared as 
fast as it had become overcast. Stars peeped out, and even 
the moon looked down upon us. We cast anchor, tired 
but sleepless. Only then did we glance at one another, 
and in spite of our situation we were tempted to laugh. 
We were dripping wet, and looked like vagabonds or pi- 
rates who had just escaped capture. There was no time 
to waste, however. We must change our clothes at once, 


170 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


and try to get a little rest. Quickly we dipped the water 
out of the Leo, and with all speed the man at the helm 
made for land, hoping to find shelter for us in some native 
huts. He was not long in returning. There were but two 
houses in the vicinity, and these had been long abandoned. 
and were in such condition that their use was out of the 
question. 

To pass the night in the boat was, therefore, the 
only alternative — a night sub divo. ‘The first thought 
was, of course, about a change of clothing, in order to 
avoid taking cold. We pulled out of the two trunks that 
we had with us everything that would answer to the de- 
scription of wearing apparel. But the scene that fol- 
lowed! Not every one of us had taken a change with him, 
so each person seized whatever came to his hands, whether 
it was too long or too short, too big or too little. Nicety 
of fit gave no one any concern, any dry garments really 
made us feel a little better. We improvised a bed for 
Father General, in the open space in the middle of the 
boat. Father Van Cleef found a corner in the engine- 
room, into which he crept to sleep. The other three lay 
down on the benches, around Father General’s cot, not, 
however, without giving hearty thanks to God and His 
Blessed Mother for having protected us so well. I fell 
into a fitful sleep, but, on account of the rocking of the 
boat from one position to another, no one else could 
close an eye. Then, too, it became very chilly, as it usual- 
ly does at night in the tropics; and Father General suf- 
fered much on account of this, in spite of a single blan- 
ket —— the only blanket we had with us — with which 
we covered his bed. I had on a thin suit of pajamas, the 
trousers of which were buttonless and stringless. For- 
tunately, I found a piece of string and tied them about me. 
I must have awakened at least twenty times during the 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 171 


night, and in the light of the moon and stars I could dis- 
tinguish along the shore the luxuriant growth of the 
tropics. The feathery palms moved like phantoms in the 
breeze, casting all sorts of weird shadows, while cocka- 
toos kept up a constant noise in the trees along the water's 
edge and on the slopes of the mountains. Shrieking night 
prowlers flew gayly over the shimmering surface of the 
bay, as if rejoicing at our ill-fortune. But even restless 
sleep has its compensations. When I awoke for the last 
time, —— about four o'clock, —- the Southern Cross was 
stretched directly over us, on a deep blue sky. In cruce 
salus, I thought. Surely this was the omen that the rest 
of our passage was to be good. 

All were awake at five, and anxious to quit this for- 
saken and lonely wilderness as quickly as possible. Short- 
ly before six o'clock, therefore, our Bintang Laut was 
chugging its way westward again, over the very waters 
on which we had been tossed but ten hours before, as 
helpless and fearful playthings of angry winds, furious 
waves, and driving rain. Loudly we chanted the Veni, 
Creator Spiritus, commending ourselves to the protection 
of the Holy Ghost for the rest of the voyage. Three 
hours more and we should be in Lela (between nine and 
ten o'clock), and our hearts rose high in glad anticipa- 
tion. 

But it was not to be. Although the sea was not 
rough, it was against us, and our sturdy little motor, 
which had served us so well in the hour of danger, stop- 
ped at least a dozen times; and every time we had to lie 
to, in order to make the necessary repairs. Our progress 
was slow, and the three hours grew into four, and the 
four into five. “The nearer we got to the Cape of Sikka, 
the more restless became the waters. Father General was 
still so miserable that he stayed on his cot, saying his 


172 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Office lying down. The rest of us said our Office the 
best we could. We had hopes of reaching Lela before 
noon at least, so as to be able to offer Mass. But when 
it came to eleven o’clock, and there was no visible prospect 
of our being able to reach our haven before twelve, three 
of the Fathers ate their breakfast of bread and bananas. 
Father General did not touch food at all; and indeed, 
food would have aggravated his already weakened condi- 
tion. As for me, I continued to stand fast by my resolve 
to eat nothing, in order to avoid any possible ill conse- 
quence. 

Shortly before noon, we rounded the dreaded Cape of 
Sikka, from which project lines of rocks and reefs of 
coral far out into the sea, threatening with ruin and de- 
struction all who pass unwarily. But even then we were 
fully two miles from the wished-for goal. It happened 
that the tide was running its very highest before Lela. 
On this we had not reckoned at all, or we should have 
disembarked at the Cape of Sikka and made our way to 
Lela on horseback. 

Higher and higher still rose the tidal breakers. Never 
in all our ocean trips had we seen such waves, one follow- 
ing the other so rapidly that there seemed no point of 
division. As we came nearer, we saw a number of Fa- 
thers and several hundred natives watching us from the 
shore. “They were in great distress for us, but helpless; and 
in fact, our situation seemed much more dangerous to them 
than it appeared to us. Often we vanished completely 
from their view, for several seconds at a time; and then 
fear filled their hearts, for they thought each disappearance 
was the end. Even our three experienced seamen began, 
little by little, to have misgivings. Although they did not 
betray their feelings by words, we read clearly their anxiety 
on their countenances. Every now and then the heavy 


oyoue je (eUIUIey) ..JvOg JIN M,, 24 “a10yseag ay} Zu0[y 








The Former Radjah of Ndona, and His Two Sons 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 173 


spray drenched us; and had one of those waves broken 
upon us, instead of shooting over, we should have been 
engulfed. 

The little Leo was being dashed into our vessel with 
such force that we did not know what damage might be 
done. In the midst of our perturbation over this second 
“perils of the waters,’’ our men stopped and cast anchor. 
At the same time a berok put out to us from the land, 
manned by two natives whose strong and certain strokes 
brought the canoe ever nearer, in spite of the dashing 
waves. They had come to take us ashore, one by one. 
Father General declined the invitation to be the first to 
make the landing, and beckoned me to try; but it was no 
easy task for the two natives to get near enough to our 
boat for me to jump aboard. I waited for what I thought 
to be the right moment, and even succeeded in throwing 
my socks and shoes over. My clothing gave me no con- 
cern, for we were now as thoroughly wet as we had been 
the preceding night, and our only thought was to save our 
lives, if possible. So seriously situated were we, indeed, 
that not one of us even smiled when our hitherto un- 
daunted and jovial Father Hundler yielded his scanty 
breakfast of a few hours before to the demands of Old 
Neptune. After failing in several attempts to make the 
leap into the berok, I thought the distance over which I 
had to leap was sufficiently short for me to try to make it. 
But they cautioned me, again and again, to wait. Wave 
followed wave. Presently the berok did come closer. In 
a few seconds I was in a heap in the bottom of the craft, 
while the two brown oarsman put all their strength into 
the oars, in order to avoid being dashed either against the 
motor-boat or the Leo. Fully two dozen more of the 
half-naked brown boys stood to their waists in water, in 
order to seize the berok and tug it to land, when, after 


174 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


a few minutes’ strenuous labor, we were near enough for 
the next favoring wave to carry us within their reach. 

I got out of the shell half-drowned, with greetings 
and questionings hurled at me from all sides by our 
anxious brethren and others. Robinson Crusoe himself 
could not have appeared more forlorn than I, standing in 
their midst in my light and soaked pajamas, barefooted, 
and with my socks and shoes, also dripping, in my hands, 
Thoughts of my appearance, however, left me when I 
looked back over the waters, to the motor-boat, and 
realized what great danger it was still in, with all its 
occupants. I found myself repeating the verses from the 
88th Psalm: Domine Deus virtutum . . . Tu dominaris 
potestatt maris, motum autem fluctum ejus Tu mitigas 
(O Lord God of hosts . . .Thou rulest the power of the 
sea: and Thou alone canst appease the motion of the 
waves thereof). : 

Accompanied by Father Glanemann, I walked to the 
mission station which I reached at exactly ten minutes 
after one o'clock. My first task was, of course, to put on 
other clothing, so that I might appear like a human being 
once more. My next thought was of the church, in order 
that I might give my heartiest thanks to the Lord our 
God, who had protected and saved us. Offering Mass 
was, of course, out of the question at this time of day. 
But not until this moment did I begin to realize my 
starved and exhausted condition. I had heretofore been 
too excited to think of myself. Yet the burning thirst 
I suffered was greater even than the pangs of hunger. 
My gums were entirely dry, and when the first attempt 
was made, I found great difficulty in swallowing. 

Fully two hours were consumed in getting the others 
on shore, one at a time. As fast as they came, they at 
once put on dry clothing and, without a word, went into 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 175 


the church. Indeed, our Father General, the third to land, 
would not have it otherwise than that he should receive 
holy Communion, though it was then two o'clock. 

Thus ended our venturesome journey by sea from 
Larantuka to Lela. What happened during the course of 
it will be remembered by every one who made the passage, 
as long as he lives. 


176 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XX 


A. Harrowing Experience 


We stop at Paga and Mau-Looh — Father Flint’s mat- 
house — On to Mbuli — An Islam town — Up the 
magnificent Keli Mutu — The crater and Dante’s In- 
ferno — The most beautiful country in the world — 
The daughter of the kapala — We strike a mountain 
range — The reassuring native — In a veritable trap — 
Hours of anguish — We arrive at Sukuria — The na- 
tive’s mentality. 


Needless to say, the Sunday and Monday that fol- 
lowed saw little exertion on our part; but on Sunday af- 
ternoon Father General felt sufficiently recovered to bless 
the new school in the Sisters’ compound, and we ac- 
companied him in procession under the beautiful palms. 

After Mass at half past six o'clock, we left in our 
motor-boat, going westward to Ndona, though we were 
to make stops at Paga and Mau-Looh, two native vil- 
lages lying close together. We could see Father Flint’s 
station at Paga away up on the hill; but the breakers 
at this point are rough, so we decided to make the land- 
ing at Mau-Looh. Here we had and odd and pleasing recep- 
tion. As we approached, four beautifully decorated sam- 
pans and one prahu (sailing-boat) came out to meet us, 
and on some of these boats the boys were performing 
really graceful little dances, while the shouts of greeting 
and the cheers extended from the boats to the land where 
crowds of people were gathered with our good Father 
Flint himself. All formed an escort to the station at the 
top of the hill, and we were deeply gratified here, as well 


VUOPN 0} ¥YIAT wWoOIy di1y, esImysvVoD vB I0J uUPdWIeS FP UT jNO 32S 0} Apeoy sou Iq 





Father Flint and a Few Natives 


0 


f Paga, 


Flores, 





before the Entrance of His Mission Station 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 177 


as at Paga, to see the pleasure manifested by the people 
over our coming. We were strangers to them, of course, 
but they knew that our Father was made happy by our 
visit, and they were so devoted to their missionary that 
they shared all his pleasures. “There was real poverty on 
all sides in this station, but everything was extremely 
neat. The Portuguese Dominicans had worked here also, 
for many years; and there were relics of their occupation, 
everywhere, — old religious articles, and even manu- 
scripts, that were held in high esteem. The church, 
school, and rectory were in one house, built of nothing 
more substantial than bamboo and straw. ‘There were 
some songs and recitations, as usual, and we appreciated 
to the fullest extent the evidences of the excellent train- 
ing given them by the missionaries. The sea from the 
top of the hill was a magnificent sight, and we were 
told that there was always a pleasant breeze, day and 
night. Could it be possible that we had been tossed like 
corks on those alluring waters only a few short hours 
before! Indeed, but for God’s great mercy, we should be 
lying beneath those waves that now glistened so peacefully 
in the sun. 

At five o'clock we laid the cornerstone for the new 
pastorie: the ceremony was but a simple one. The chapel, 
we were informed, was to be started as soon as the pastforie 
was finished; and certainly one could see that the ne- 
cessity for both was very real. That night Father General, 
Father deLange, Father Flint, and I huddled into the cor- 
ners of the so-called station. The others remained over- 
night in the pasangrahan —— that is to say, the native 
inn or guest house. 

At six in the morning, on Wednesday, we went down 
again to the coast, in order to leave for Mbuli harbor, our 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — Ii it. 


178 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


next goal, whence we were to go inland to Djopu. Every- 
thing was singularly quiet. The sea was at ebb — it had 
receded for fully half a mile, and apparently not a soul 
was stirring in the kRampong. The natives were in no 
hurry to rise —- why should we be? There were plenty 
of bananas, sweet potatoes, fish, etc., ready for the gather- 
ing and taking; and the fresh, cool air enticed one to a 
long, morning nap. We arrived at Mbuli about nine 
o'clock, and were surprised to find no one waiting for us. 
The breakers at Mbuli were always rather strong, but we 
were fortunate in arriving at the right moment; and al- 
though we lay at anchor a short distance from the shore, 
there seemed no anxiety on the part of any one to come 
out in sampans to assist us. We saw the natives gather- 
ing in two’s and three’s on the shore, and we were com- 
menting on the difference of this reception from the last, 
when we were told that the reason might be because Mbuli 
is all Islam. After some hesitation and much consulting 
together, a few of the people left their huts with paddles 
in their hands; and presently a boat pushed off to take us 
ashore. Not until we were on land did we notice a 
small troop of natives, led by our Father Schiitte, com- 
ing on horseback down the slope of the mountain range 
that lies beyond Mbuli. But when we did see them, our 
minds were at once set at ease; and as the four natives were 
ready to carry Father General and Father deLange up 
the incline, the rest of us went on horseback to Djopu, 
where we were received by Father Eickmann, who was 
the new (temporary) pastor there. Father Preissler was 
also with them, quite ill with fever, having come in from 
a neighboring station an hour’s journey distant. The 
horseback ride from Mbuli to Djopu had been so pleas- 
ant and had led through such a picturesque forest that I 
enjoyed it immensely; and it therefore took but little 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 179 


discussion to settle our mode of traveling for the next day. 
Father General, Father deLange, and Father Preissler were 
to proceed to Ndona in the motor-boat, the following 
afternoon, while Father John van Cleef, Father Hundler, 
and I would go on horseback, via Sukuria. 

The formal celebration and reception at Djopu was 
arranged to take place the next day, so we made use of 
the remainder of the present day to climb the famous 
Keli Mutu. There were six of us in the party —— Father 
Hundler, Frater Buis, Brother Willibrord, and I, with 
two native boys. Horses carried us most of the way up 
the 4500 feet —- sometimes we walked, particularly to 
admire the glory of the mountain and sea and sky that 
spread itself before us. We left at three in the afternoon, 
and arrived at six o'clock, just in time to enjoy a long 
peep into the wonderful lakes deep down in the craters. 
An inferno indeed —- worse, yes, more sublimely terri- 
fying than anything I had ever imagined. My Dante 
studies came back in vivid fashion. Flames like serpents, 
and dragons breathing fire — spears of darting light: 
and heavy, molten, restless, bubbling waves! Surely hell 
itself could be no worse in fiery punishment. And then, 
the surroundings! I thought of Sodom and Gomorrha. 

Lying prone we had to drag ourselves up to the rim 
of the crater, for fear of pitching forward. Then, when 
it came to the point of bending over, to look into the 
cauldron below, one shrank in terror, for the whole ap- 
pearance of things caused a shudder to pass through the 
entire body. There was no sign of vegetation anywhere, 
except for a few scrubs of the sort artists depict when 
they wish to describe a “‘no man’s land’”’ or a dead man’s 
gulch,’’ or something of the sort. I thought of Prom- 
etheus Bound and of an illustrated poem called Chaos, 
which attempted to show our Western continent as it 


180 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


would likely appear after a judgment which the present 
materialistic age would bring about if carried to its log- 
ical conclusion. 

The crater of Keli Mutu is a vast bowl which is 
divided, far below, into three distinct divisions, which 
have probably resulted from separate eruptions in times 
past. In each of these weird divisions of infernal wastes 
is a large lake; and upon looking down from our first 
point of vantage we could see two of them, with a ridge 
between. At times, partially hiding the scene below, sul- 
phurous clouds of smoke and vapor arose, making a 
deafening sound as they issued forth from the depths of 
the pit to the regions of pure air and our common life. 

The first lake —- how shall I describe its fascinating 
terror and its weird beauty! The whole watery waste was 
of a deep blood-red tinge, with a sort of phosphorescent 
iridescence, and the walls that rose up from it on all 
sides were of the same color; but the red was mingled 
with streaks and stripes of gold! Oh, this picture was 
a marvel to me; I wanted to continue to gaze, on and on, 
and yet I could hardly bring myself to remain another 
moment hanging over this edge of fury. But after a time 
we slid back some way, and then reconnoitered a bit, 
until we reached another side of the crater’s edge. Here 
we looked down and beheld six sulphurous fissures, deep, 
deep, along the lower sides of the crater-cavern, and these 
constantly shot forth sword-like thrusts of yellow and 
bright red flames. “The second lake was, in contrast to 
the first, of a deep mysterious green color, with walls of 
a lighter green rising up on all sides. 

Then there was the third division and its lake. This 
watery expanse was bluish green in color, like a great 
mother-of-pearl set in a case of dark blue velvet; and 
there was a dark, foreboding, and portentous background 


‘SUBI}SIIYD [[e 21e (WRIST JO So}eIOApR 
ao1ey AjrswmI0js) ajdoed ayy ‘Nnyny Tey 94} dn Avm-j[eH Suodury ev 





‘eweg jo suodumry 





A Glimpse into One of the Crater Lakes of Keli Mutu 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 181 


of high cliffs which rose abruptly from the waters, on the 
side just opposite us. 

Many visitors declare the scenes of the Keli Mutu to 
be the most magnificent in all the East Indies. 

Inevitably, these mountain lakes within the bowl of 
this crater have made a deep impression upon the minds 
of the natives. They have named them, in turn:tiwu 
ata polo (lake of the. bewitched), tiwu nua muri kooh 
fat (lake of young men and maidens), and tiwu ata 
mbupu (lake of the elders). They say that the great god, 
Kondeh-Ratu, presides over the whole crater region, and 
that to him is given the judgment of all mankind at death. 
If one appears before him who has met a violent death 
in battle or in some noble manner, such a one is destined 
for a higher place than Kondeh-Ratu is able to provide: 
he is therefore sent into the presence of the ‘Great High’ 
himself, and there enjoys perpetual bliss in the midst of 
his ancestors. But if the death should be caused through 
some ignoble means, then his soul is consigned to the 
‘lake of the bewitched’ (this is the place of murderers, 
suicides, and the like); this lake is said to be very cold. 
Young folks who die natural deaths are sent to dwell in 
the midst of the ‘lake of young men and maidens’; this 
lake is said to be rather warm. Finally, the old people 
are sent to the ‘lake of the elders’; here it is also cold. 

After wandering around a bit — for the sight was 
one we could not long bear to look at — we made a fire, 
and with the horses near by, we prepared a frugal supper 
and waited for the moon to rise. At eight o'clock the 
orb of the evening rewarded us for our vigil; and only 
one who has taken a similar journey can know what that 
trip from the top of the mountain looked like, with the 
stars and the deep-blue sky above us, and the moon 
making everything as vivid as day. Halfway down, we 


182 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


stopped at a native inn, where the proprietor treated us 
to some ‘‘moonshine”’ of a different sort —- made from 
a certain palm tree. Dyjopu station was regained at ten 
o'clock. . We had traveled eighteen miles, over a portion 
of the most beautiful country in the world. 

The next day, March 16, we had Solemn High 
Mass, the sermon being preached by Father deLange; 
there was a great crowd of natives present, who recited, 
sang songs, and presented gifts, two native women bring- 
ing a basket of eggs and six chickens to Father General, 
while the tiny tots presented him with flowers. 

Just as the celebration ended it was time for us to 
begin our adventurous trip to Ndona, forty miles over 
glorious mountains and through beautiful forests. I was 
sorry for the poor travelers who were so content to trust 
themselves to the treacherous rolling of the billows, but 
they were quite satisfied to take what they called ‘“‘the 
simpler way.’’ Frater Buis, who was engaged in building 
three new schools in this section, was to accompany us 
to Ngela, which meant that he would be with us about 
two hours. On the road to Ngela we stopped in a valley 
where there were some sulphur springs —— used by the 
natives for medical purposes, especially for the healing 
of wounds and sores. I was told that these sulphur 
springs came from the crater seas of the Keli Mutu. 

We finally arrived at Negela. It was situated on a 
straight and narrow plateau with a glorious view of 
the ocean. We paid a visit to the house of the Rapala. 
His daughter was dying and twenty or more women were 
lamenting and screaming about her bed —- most of them, 
I was told, doing so because it was customary, and not 
from grief. “The girl was about eighteen years old, and 
as she had already been under instruction, and wore Our 
Lady’s medal about her neck, Father van Cleef gave her 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 183 


conditional baptism, and we left, accompanied by hun- 
dreds of natives, with again as many children, as we rode 
on horseback through several villages until we finally 
reached the main road. The people really astonished us 
by their evidence of love for our holy religion, and on 
all sides we were repeatedly asked for churches and schools. 
We distributed holy pictures and religious articles and at 
least made the little ones to whom we gave them very 
happy. 

Frater Buis left us here and we rode on for about an 
hour, the road leading around hills and mountains, every 
step displaying a new view of the ocean, until we reached 
another mountain range. Father van Cleef stopped at the 
trail, telling us that this was a short cut directly up the 
mountain. “It will save us at least an hour's time,’ he 
said, confidently, and naturally we were glad to make use 
of it. He hailed a passing native, then, to be sure; and on 
being told that all was perfectly safe, we started. 

Next to the perilous journey we had taken so short 
a while before via wind and wave, no other experience 
in all our travels equaled this. We moved on, gradually, 
and very slowly -—— up, up, until at last we were in a 
veritable trap, rocks and a stony trail before us, and on 
either side deep precipices. It was not until the next day 
that we discovered what our actual danger had been. 
For a man on foot it would have been a task to climb 
that trail —— yet, here we were on horses! We did not 
realize the danger until we were in the heart of it; we 
were hemmed in on all sides, and every movement had 
to be carefully considered. The full horror of the situa- 
tion seemed to strike us suddenly —- each one experienced 
a similar shock almost at the same moment! Father 
Hundler was the first to dismount — quietly and silently 
submitting himself to whatever lay before us. Cautious- 


184 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


ly we followed his example, and step by step, pulled the 
horses after us, for they were not in the least disposed to 
follow. However, we held the reins but loosely, for ar 
any moment a horse might slip and go plunging down 
into the abyss, dragging his leader with him if the reins 
became entangled. Father Hundler, being first, had the 
advantage, for I was in constant fear of his animal's fall- 
ing back on me, or even carrying me with him in his 
struggle. Again, when my horse obtained a surer foot 
on the trail, he would take a long step forward, so that 
three or four times I was in danger of being pushed 
over. 

The very worst plight of all was that of poor Father 
van Cleef. He was far behind us, and as his little horse 
was burdened quite heavily, the risk was so much greater. 
He called to us several times to come to his. assistance. 
but we dared not do so, for to attempt to turn on that 
narrow ledge would have been to invite catastrophe. Ne 
one could afford at that moment to take his absolute 
concentrated attention off the trail, and the thought of 
going back even a few yards of this stretch gave me a 
momentary nausea. Again and again I told myself thar 
we were attempting the impossible — that we must leave 
our horses and scramble back as best we could without 
them. But there was a half-hidden conviction that we 
should never be able to get back —- and so we went on. 
At last, at seven o'clock, we reached the top, trembling 
from exhaustion; and with a prayer of heartfelt gratitude. 
Father Hundler and I threw ourselves down to rest for a 
few brief seconds. It took Father van Cleef another half- 
hour to reach us and we were very glad to remain for 
some time longer, until our tired horses as well as ourselves 
regained strength, and our nerves became quieter. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 185 


We were, as I have mentioned, bound for Sukuria, 
where we intended to remain in a pasangrahan over night. 
After this climb ——- which seemed to have lasted an eter- 
nity — I was positive that we were near our destination. 
Not so! At least two hours more of traveling lay before 
us — and only one thing gave us a ray of cheer: nothing 
ahead could be so bad as that which lay behind! Dark- 
ness had set in and there were only a few stars visible 
through the thin clouds. The moon, that had been so 
kind to us on our delightful journey the preceding eve- 
ning, refused now to put in an appearance. It would not 
rise until nine o'clock, Father van Cleef informed us, and 
so we resolved to make the best of things and proceed. 
We mounted our horses and had passed over at least two 
or three dozens of wooden bridges, strung across the deep- 
est precipices, cheering each other up occasionally, when, 
finally, we reached the kKampong of Sukuria. 

The village was along the slope ahead of us, and 
we could hear the voices of the natives expressing their 
surprise that there were travelers out so late! To be 
frank, I was rather inclined, in my dazed state, to be 
surprised myself! Another fifteen minutes and we were 
outside, on a sort of plateau, where we saw the pasan- 
gtahan. With a heartfelt Deo Gratias we got off our 
horses —— and just then the tardy moon peeped out at us 
inquiringly over the mountain range. We had a native 
supper, each prepared a corner for himself, rolling up in 
the blankets we had used on our horses, and about 
11 p.m. we stretched out our tired, weary limbs, after 
having once more thanked Divine Providence for the pro- 
tection accorded us during this perilous adventure. 

It was the hardest part of the mission trail. When we 
questioned why the native had not warned us, since he 
must have been fully aware of its difficulty, we were 


186 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


told that it was sufficient for the fellow that we wanted 
to do it! In other words, he would not contradict even 
an implied desire, no matter what the possible consequence 
might be. We were white men, — if we wished to climb 
mountains and cross impossible trails —- well, could any 
native stop us, or say we could not accomplish it? 

And behold — marvel of marvels! — we had ac- 
complished it, though it cost us some hours of anguish 
to learn the composition of a native’s mentality. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 187 


CHAPTER XXI 


Pagan Unrest 


St. Patrick’s Day — Superb marvels of Nature's handi- 

work —— The loéal temple —- The gods of the people — 

Animism — Pagan discontent and longings —- A dan- 

gerous experience near Ai Kipa ——The return to Ndona 

—The ‘coming tn’ of the Fathers, preparatory to the te- 

treat —- The conference —- Outline for the rest of the 
volume. 


St. Patrick’s Day in the Netherlands East Indies! 
There was some difference between greetings on the top 
of this mountain and the ‘top o’ the mornin’ greetings 
offered on the feast day of this popular saint in our own 
country. We said Mass at four o'clock, then had break- 
fast, or what passed for breakfast; and at half past six 
we were ready to continue our trail, our horses being in 
good trim after the night’s rest. 

Now we were to see the very thing that ad tempted 
us to take this overland journey — the truly magnificent 
scenery of Flores. I assure my readers that, though I 
have been in the Alps and in many of the beautiful 
mountain ranges of our own country, this section seemed, 
for the moment, to fairly outrival them all. Valleys 
along mountain ranges, bridges, precipices, waterfalls, 
natural formations, huge rocks against an intensely blue 
sky, —— all were presented in unrivaled beauty before a 
background of gorgeous sunrise. This point of van- 
tage of which I speak we reached in little more than an 
hour’s ride from Ndona. Frater Buis told me that, many 
and many a time, when he could find for himself an hour 


188 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


or two of respite, he came out to this place, to feast his 
eyes and his heart’s emotions on the wonders of God 
in nature. And indeed, the thing that flashed into mind, 
after I had overcome the first period of emotion, in which 
I found myself entirely unable to speak or indeed to con- 
sider anything definitely (because I was held in the thrall 
of wonder and awe) was the memory of Beethoven's 
great chorus, ““Die Himmel ruehmen des Ewigen Ehre,”’ 
for it seemed that, for the moment, nothing but music 
could in any way afford means of expressing the supernal 
glories before us. 

Far and away stretched the glorious lands — hills 
and dales, then rolling valleys, and everywhere a luxuriant 
green and a freshness of verdure —- of palms and tropi- 
cal plants of every sort and variety. For the altitude 
here, in conjunction with the nightly fall of heavy dews, 
keeps all vegetation, as it seems, in a state of perpetual 
springtime beauty and freshness. On many sides I beheld 
mountain streams, and here and there mild torrents: 
then again, graceful waterfalls amid rocky ravines and 
darksome gorges. Beyond, far and away reached the 
blue-green ocean, until its colors merged into a misty grey 
towards the southwest, and mingled with the regal bril- 
liance of the cloudy hues, which the sun, not yet high in 
the skies, supplied. Again the imagination began to work, 
and [I thought of the great Oriental Ode of Francis 
‘Thompson, which begins 


‘Lo, in the sanctuaried East,’’ — 


and again my feelings almost overcame me. 

There, stretching afar out into the deep was a great 
peninsula, and at its very extremity a truncated mountain, 
rising majestically out of a wild region of foliage and 
high trees, and exhibiting a vast plateau of splendid pro- 


RN een reeent wim Nees ihonea nahn pee meen main hem Malay nemenion Dual mb oNnphs 


5 

é 

i 

f 

me 

& 
oes 3 
~ 


ie cceane is renee ene Ee NANTES VN MN RR RN rrr ee HC GL ES 





Daughter 


ing 


llage of Ngela, where We Found the Kapala’s Dy 


i 


In the V 





Showing the Construction of a Spirit-house Called Sao Keda in Flores 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 189 


portions just below the fleeting clouds that passed over 
it. Farther inland, towards the mainland, — and helping 
to mark the sweep of a great and beautifully blue bay, 
rose Mount Keo, smoking defiantly into the sky, with 
lower sides shining like tarnished bronze and the upper 
portions a waste of blood-red and dreary ochre. 

But it is useless to talk of such sights as these. In- 
evitably one feels foolish after the endeavor. Only poets 
should set down those things which are living poems in 
themselves; and frequently it were better if even the poet 
would remain silent. 

Soon we descended into a little village, and here I at 
once took notice of the local temple (sao keda). Through 
arrangement with the village chief we were permitted 
to enter; but there was little to be seen, except a crude 
statue or two representing the local deities. JI am told 
that it is strictly forbidden for women to enter these 
edifices or even to approach to touch them. The gods 
of the people (or, rather, the spirits which they wor- 
ship) are various; but they may be, in some manner, 
categoried into three groups, as follows: (1) the Mata 
Ria, or ‘great god’. He is the benefactor; he knows 
everything and observes the good and punishes the wicked. 
Then (2) comes the Nita Pai (‘the bitter god’). He is 
the doer of evil, and is consequently held in great awe 
and a sort of base reverential fear. The natives offer 
him multitudinous sacrifices, hoping to appease his anger 
or predisposition against them. Finally, there is the 
Wiela Ledga (‘Moon-Sun’). He is the god of light, 
the quasi-guardian angel. He is everywhere revered and 
worshiped. 

‘Then, of course, one must recall how the very beau- 
ties of nature, which I had been ascribing with veneration 
to the great Creator and Father of us all, have tempted 


190 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


and perverted the minds of the people, so that they find 
ghostly powers investing these very forms of God’s loving 
kindness and tender mercies to the children of men. In 
other words, we must say that their religion is largely 
animistic. For instance, we remember the ideas about 
death and the fire mountain, also about the lakes of Keli 
Mutu, and again, about the waringa tree and its as- 
sociations with the birth of a child, etc. Of course, it 
would be possible to go on, extensively, into all this; 
but of principal interest for us is the fact that none of 
these things satisfy the people. In spite of their natural 
joyousness of spirit, there is always noticeable a certain 
look —- an expression of wistful longing: Christian tour- 
ists and missionaries have often remarked it. It simply 
indicates to us that they are no longer satisfied with 
what they have in the way of spiritual consolation. They 
dimly realize that theirs is not the true religion; and 
so their disposition is always to be, as it were, ready and 
waiting to embrace a new faith. 

Thus the question arises: Who is to give them this 
faith? “The Mohammedans or the Catholics? 

But I had been speaking of entering a local temple, 
and all this talk has led from it.’ However, it is evident 
that we must presently take up in earnest this last question 
to which our considerations have brought us. Which 
is it to be for the Little Sunda Islands, Mohammedan- 
ism or the Catholic Faith? 


*K 2K *K 


I had sometime since discovered that my mount for 
this day was an excellent one — the little horse served 
me well, and I had reason to be very glad of his capa- 
bilities, before we reached the central mission that night. 
The way home led close to a most dangerous point, 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 191 


known as Ai Kipa, and the roads were rocky and fright- 
ful; but only once did my little pony show any nervous- 
ness, and at that I dismounted and followed him, up 
along a narrow trail at the edge of a steep precipice. But 
soon we were safely on our way again. 

We reached Ndona at ten o'clock, and one can imagine 
the reception accorded us when we told of our experiences 
and adventures. Father General and the others, whom 
we had left at Djopu, caught the motor-boat at Mbuli, 
and had arrived the night before at eleven o'clock. We 
also found Fathers from different outlying places who had 
come in the meantime, and all were ready for the annual 
retreat to be given by Father General. Our visitation 
tour on the island of Flores was ended — that it termi- 
nated without a fatality was an act of God’s mercy which 
we did not appreciate to the full until we saw how the 
other Fathers took the story of those long and anxious 
hours. 

From Friday until Monday — March 17 to 20 — 
our Fathers continued to come in for the retreat, and we 
were made happy by each arrival. Some of them had 
been on the roads for two days, others more than eleven. 
Father Verstraelen came from Timor on a Dutch boat 
of the K.P.M., — he had been out during the storm of 
our experience, and had known one discomfort that I, 
at least, had avoided —— being terribly seasick. During 
these days I was engaged in taking pictures of the people 
around me, but I found it increasingly difficult to get them 
to pose. | 

Before our retreat there was a missionary conference, 
during which I gained a new insight into missionary life 
as it is in all its concrete reality, with its problems, trials, 
and conquests. 


192 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


In the next few chapters I want to make, therefore, 
a general report of much that I learned during the ses- 
sions of this conference. And so, I intend to treat, in a 
more or less detailed manner, of the actual facts of life 
as. they are met and dealt with, day by day, by our mis- 
sionaries of the Little Sunda Islands. First, the out- 
standing problem for them is the steadily attempted en- 
croachments of Mohammedanism. ‘Then I wish to speak 
particularly of the lives of the Brothers and Sisters, in 
their own special departments of service. “Throughout 
the entire book the labors of the Fathers have constantly 
been brought to notice, but the conference opened - up, 
in a very special way, the actual significance of the life 
of a priest who is following a missionary career; it showed 
his peculiarly trying and difficult problems, and the trials 
of seemingly thwarted effort, as I had never seen them 
before. Furthermore, the educational work of the Fathers 
in this mission is of almost unique importance and in- 
terest, and is very intimately allied with the direct work 
of Christianization; therefore I should like to describe 
it at some length. In conclusion, a brief description of 
the visit to Timor, and of the work there, will be in 
order. . 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 193 


CHAPTER XXII 


Mohammedanism on Flores 


Two hundred and thirty-five million Islamites — The 
Cross and the Crescent — “Rather Turkish than Po- 
pish’’ —- The Moslems of to-day — The lax ones — 
The real sons of Mohammed — The fanatical natives. 


It has often been stated that ‘‘every man’s world 
is bounded by his own horizon.’ In no one thing is this 
truer than in the matter of religion. The Christian at 
home is apt to think that Christianity in its various forms 
is the dominating power in other parts of the world as 
well as his own. That traveler par excellence, the mis- 
sionary, who works amid people professing Confucianism, 
Buddhism, and Islamism, and daily beholds the multi- 
tudes who adore their god or gods while he stands as a 
solitary representative of the true Faith, truly can tell you 
that there are other religions, mighty, irresistible within 
limits, defiant; religions which, by very principle, antagon- 
ize Christianity, challenge it, attack it, and alas, very often 
all but exterminate it! 


The most active and fanatical of all this imposing 
array is younger than either Buddhism or Confucianism, 
— is one that from its incipient stages up to the present 
time has bitterly opposed Christianity. This is the religion 
of Mohammed, called Mohammedanism or Islamism or 
Moslemism. 

Hardly had Mohammed, the founder of Islamism, 
closed his eyes in death, when his successors, the mighty 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II ah 


194 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


caliphs, always mindful of their prophet’s teaching that 
“one night spent in arms is worth more than two months 
of prayers,’’ successfully continued their master’s con- 
quests and subdued, within a period of a century, all 
Syria and Palestine (A.D. 637), Egypt (A.D. 640), 
Persia (A.D. 651), the coast of Northern Africa (A.D. 
707), and even Spain (A.D. 711). 

The Crusades of the Middle Ages were organized in 
order to wrest the spots sacred to all Christians from 
the defiling hands of the Mohammedans. The intrepid 
Crusaders really succeeded in conquering Palestine; but 
mightier caliphs arose, and more than once the Moslems 
crushed the Christian power; and henceforth, up to the 
present day, Mohammed has reigned where Christ was 
proclaimed king. Mohammed reigns not only in the 
land trodden by our Savior and drenched with His blood, 
but also in Africa, where sixty millions honor him as 
their great prophet; and in the regions of Arabia, Asia- 
Minor, Persia, and surrounding countries, where thirty- 
one millions of natives call him the mightiest nabi 
(Prophet). Mohammed reigns! Yes, he reigns over 
thirty million souls of China and Turkestan, over six- 
ty-two millions of India, over’ thirty-three million in- 
habitants of the Netherlands East Indies, and over six- 
teen million Islamites scattered throughout the various 
other nations of the world. Mohammed has not won these 
two hundred and thirty-five million souls through exem- 
plary life or sublimity of doctrine: he has subdued them 
through the intolerant fanaticism of his followers, ‘‘holy 
wars, liberal moral laws, and ruthless dealing with every 
one who would not accept the belief of Islam. 

In the Netherlands East Indies to-day there are over 
thirty-three million Mussulmans. This astounding fact 
“nds its explanation, first, in the hardiness of the Arabian 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 195 


trader, who is able to obtain a foothold where no one 
else would thrive. Wherever he goes, be it for business 
or pleasure, he is a missionary first and last. “The second 
explanation is summed up in that anti-Christian motto 
of the Dutch Calvinists of the seventeenth, eighteenth, 
- and nineteenth centuries — scat “Rather Turkish 
than Poptsh!’’ 

Indeed: these thirty-million Moslem converts (for it 
is what they are) would, very likely, have been Roman 
Catholic converts, had the Netherlands East Indies be- 
longed to Spain or Portugal rather than Holland. ‘The 
Mohammedans carried on a busy trade with the people 
of the archipelago, in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fif- 
teenth centuries; but during this period their religious 
activities remained principally confined to the seaport 
towns and villages. They had no rivals, and felt that 
the future of these islands was in their hands. Then 
came the Portuguese, and with them the religion of the 
Cross. 

The Cross and the Crescent prepared for a battle 
that both realized was unavoidable. ‘To all appearances, 
the Cross, planted upon the soil drenched by the blood 
of martyrs, was destined to emerge victoriously; but then 
an unexpected enemy, the Calvinists, appeared in Feb- 
ruary, 1605. Although nominally Christians, they 
treacherously joined the infidels, and made it their boast, 
a few years later, that they had entirely obliterated Ca- 
tholicism from the Netherlands East Indies. The historian, 
reading the Calvinist enactments of those days, is as- 
tounded at the virulent spirit of fanaticism and intol- 
erance that breathes from every page of these decrees. 
Yet in. spite of the fact that they have labored hundreds 
of years with every possible assistance, their number of 
converts has yet to reach the 650,000 mark. This pre- 


196 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


sents a striking contrast with the Philippine Islands, 
where the Spanish friars in the same lapse of time brought 
over nine million people into the true fold of Christ. The 
thirty-three million Islamites living to-day in the Nether- 
lands East Indies constitute a bitter realization of the 
Calvinistic maxim: “‘Rather Turkish than Poptsh.” 

In the succeeding centuries, religious intolerance 
reigned unimpeded on the islands, and every Catholic 
priest was barred from their shores. 

However, though religious freedom was at last pro- 
claimed by the government, the missionaries had to en- 
dure unprecedented calumnies and bitter attacks through- 
out the entire course of the nineteenth century. At the 
present day, though when compared to former times the 
Catholic missionary is found to have much liberty, it is 
not yet a matter of choice where work will be taken up 
for the government has divided the islands between the 
Catholics and various Protestant sects. In order to pre- 
vent discord, each Christian denomination has its own 
well-defined boundaries, and no missionary is allowed to 
transgress these for the purpose of proselytizing. 

But to judge adequately of the present-day situa- 
tion of Mohammedanism on Flores we must know the 
Various circumstances and forces which are embodied in 
their fanatical opposition to the Catholic missionary. 

At the outset it must be made clear that the Dutch- 
man of the twentieth century is not the Calvinist of 
past ages. [he Catholic Church in the Netherlands now 
flourishes wonderfully, and Catholics are beginning to 
occupy important offices. This circumstance at home 
brings a favorable influence to bear upon the body of 
officers in the colonial territories of the Netherlands East 
Indies. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 197 


To-day the Catholic missionary is revered and re- 
spected everywhere. Many officers are found free from 
prejudices and from Masonic or Calvinistic affiliations, 
who readily acknowledge the fine work the Catholics are 
doing. They realize that the Catholic missionaries and 
Sisters succeed in civilizing the natives, in equipping them 
with proper knowledge, training them to be efficient work- 
men, and in inculcating a spirit of precise obedience to the 
laws of the State. 

The Moslems, likewise, are fully alive to the situa- 
tion, and endeavor to counteract this development by in- 
stilling a holy Moslem zeal into the ‘‘faithful.’’ During 
the past decade they have achieved marvelous results. The 
bloody cruelties perpetrated in recent years by the Islamites 
against the Bulgarians and the helpless people of Asia 
Minor and Persia, are household facts; yet, far from 
shaming him, such achievements go largely to make up a 
Mohammedan’s glory: they are signs of the approval of 
Tuwan Allah (God). Every Mohammedan has a num- 
ber of stories which deal with the mighty conquests of 
Islam; and these tales, illustrated by fantastic pictures of 
battlefields and rehearsed with readiness and exaggeration, 
find eager listeners. The danger of coming in contact 
with the Christians is pictured in glaring colors; the stories 
of their own ‘“‘faithful,’’ and the fact that there are in 
the Netherlands East Indies many thousands of Moslems 
who read a great deal but know very little, have been 
sufficient to create a sentiment in the archipelago which has 
resulted in the formation of an association known as the 
“SARIKAT ISLAM,” now composed of more than ONE 
MILLION members. The fraternity has spread through- 
out the length and breadth of these shores, and to-day it 
is a real menace in many places. Revolts and tumultuous 
gatherings are not infrequent, and white blood has al- 


198 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


ready been shed. It is no easy task to ferret out the pur- 
pose and aim of-the organization, but beyond doubt these 
are of a political and religious character. | 

The mighty influence which the Sarikat Islam exerts 
on its members is in turn reflected upon the heathen. And 
as there are at present some thousands of Sarikat. Islam 
members on Flores, one can readily realize what difficul- 
ties the missionary must grapple with in contending 
against this influence. If to all this we add the wrath and 
bad blood stirred up:in Mohammedan circles by the un- 
heard-of success of the Catholics, we can understand even 
more fully why they stop! at no effort in BP OnBE the 
spread of our holy Faith. 

However, not. every one of the ats five tiGbeniit 
Islamites of Flores is a rabid fanatic. We must needs 
separate them into three classes. [here are those who 
are merely so in name. Outside of the fact that they are 
Moslems, they are in blank ignorance of the doctrine and 
duties of Mohammedanism. This class of ‘“‘believers’’ 
numbers on Flores about twenty (?) thousand persons. 

The sceond group are the Arabs, the real sons of 
Mohammed, highly revered by every Moslem. From 
among them the imams (priests) are selected. ‘They are 
hardly a thousand strong, but they are the Mohammedan 
missionaries, not so much by words as by deeds. We may 
style the third class the fanatical natives: Buginese, Sum- 
bawanese, Macassars, and Florenese, who live in close and 
continual contact with the Arabs and the imams. As a 
result, they are entirely under Mohammedan influence. 
This class may be called the fruit-bearing family for the 
faith. From among them the singers, the prayer-instruc- 
tors, the catechists, the -story-tellers, in short, all the 
propagandists are selected. These fanatics number about 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 199 


twenty-five thousand. These three groups and their ac- 
tivities we will now set forth. 


A. The Lax Ones 


A lax Mohammedan is a peculiar mortal. We might 
say he is neither flesh nor fish, and an Islam only by mis- 
fortune. Should circumstances change, he will change. 
His appearance reminds one more of a heathen than of a 
Moslem. It is true that waving locks no longer adorn 
his head, as would be the case if he were a heathen; but 
that is the one and only distinguishing sign. For the rest, 
he is as dirty and naked as a heathen, unless he belongs to 
some higher class: in the latter case he is dressed just like 
the pagan nobility. 

Lax Mohammedans are generally tolerant and kindly 
disposed toward the missionary. Conversion is not un- 
usual. In our boarding-schools we have a few Ismalite 
children of such parents, —- some of them have already 
been baptized, or will be in the near future. 
| It is through these lax Mohammedans and through 
the converts we have among them that we have gained 
some influence in a few of the Islamitic sections. Thus 
for instance, Mbele, the district chief of Nduri, though 
once a Mohammedan, is now a good Catholic; his family 
however, still remain Islamites. While attending our 
boarding-school at Ndona, Mbele received baptism and has 
since married a Catholic princess, the sister of King Pius, 
and has shown himself a fervent champion of his rights 
and a zealous promoter of Catholicism. Nor will he per- 
mit any derogatory words against the missionaries in his 
presence. “Toma, one of the village heads, once a Moslem, 
is now a fervent Catholic; and other future chiefs of that 
same Mohammedan district are at Ndona attending school. 


200 ALONG- THE MISSION TRAIL 


Among our teachers we have a few who have re- 
nounced their former Mohammedan doctrine. In grati- 
tude for the precious gift of the true Faith, they zealously 
instruct the children of their respective hamlets and bring 
many a child into the fold of Christ. Quite a few Islam- 
ites of this kind attend our day schools, and some of them 
have already expressed the wish to become Catholic; but 
some influential Mohammedans — always to be found 
among them — continually keep them from taking the 
step. However, we have hope for the future. Rev. Fa- 
ther Schoorlemmer, in 1921, had the joy of baptizing 
three Mohammedan scholars of our day school at Ruteng. 

The king of Kangai, —- Mohammedan in name, 

heathen in customs, half Christian at heart, — is another 
example of a lax Moslem. He was the first to assist Fa- 
ther Haarmann in erecting his church. And so rapidly did 
the building progress because of his encouragement that 
in nine weeks the church was completed. These lax ones 
are very ignorant concerning the tenets of Mohammedan- 
ism. They actually neglect the commands of praying 
and giving alms; and many of them do not even despise 
a bit of pork, though it is so strenuously forbidden by the 
Koran. 
In villages where laxity prevails, a trifle is enough to 
change the mind of the populace. We have villages, like 
Pemo, Waku-Odja, Wolo-Mari, and others, where, 
through some trifling, insignificant occurrence, the mis- 
sionary (who was formerly taboo) is now heartily wel- 
comed. If all were as lax as these twenty thousand, there 
would be no reason to look gloomily into the future. 


B. The Real Sons of Mohammed 


The Arabs, as we have said, are the true sons of 
Mohammed. Born and reared in the land of the prophet, 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 201 


speaking the language of the prophet, and observing the 
doctrine of the prophet, they are indeed rank Moham- 
medans at heart. But their appearance is by no means 
repulsive. Many make favorable impressions, with their 
imposing figures, their clear, dark eyes, slightly curved 
noses, well-trimmed moustaches, round chins, and light 
brown complexions. These advantages, combined with 
the pleasant mode of speaking and a most gracious man- 
ner of gesticulation, win them many devotees among 
the heathen. They are not, of course, missionaries in 
the strict sense: their main purpose is to make money. 
Nevertheless, their accomplishments preach for them. 

Quite a number of them are hadyis (i. e., Moham- 
medans, who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy 
city of the Islams); and as hadjts, they wear a white fez 
instead of a red tarbush. This is a cherished distinction 
for every true “‘believer.’’ And it is a fact that the hadyis 
are impressive, indeed, with their white caps and glaring 
dresses. When an Arab meets an imam (priest), he 
kisses his hand, while the imam says “‘Assalam alatkhum’”’ 
(‘Peace be with thee’). And the Arab answers, “Wa 
alaikum assalam’’ (‘And with thee may there be peace). 

Our missionaries have not the slightest doubt of their 
piety. It is easy to ridicule their exterior behavior and 
seriousness, but to call them hypocrites is unjustified. Af- 
ter having closely and repeatedly observed them, our mis- 
sionaries are of the opinion that almost all of them are 
really convinced that they, and they alone, have the true 
and only faith. The following facts will bear out my 
statement. 

Each must pray, — and an upright Moslem prays 
seriously. He has his chaplet in his hand, as the Catholic 
has his rosary. On this chaplet he recites daily, some hun- 
dreds of times, the Mohammedan dogma as expressed in 


202 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


the formula: ‘‘There is no God but Allah, and Moham- 
med is his prophet.’’ The doctrines of Islam concern- 
ing God — His unity and divine attributes —— are es- 
sentially those of the Bible. 

Besides the formula of this creed, the recital of which 
is necessary for salvation, there are five other prayers, to 
be said respectively before sunrise, at mid-day, at four in 
the afternoon, at sunset, and shortly before midnight. 
These prayers our Flores Arabs strictly observe. “The 
forms of prayers and the gesticulations are prescribed in 
their liturgy. They perform their prayers looking toward 
Mecca, preceding them by the washing of the hands and 
feet; failure to do this renders the prayers ineffectual. 
Every missionary who has lived or traveled in Moham- 
medan countries has seen, at the call of the muezzins, 
the multitude falling down to prayers, either in their 
medzigitis (mosques), in the streets, on the sea-coast, 
the steamer, the train, or elsewhere. In short, when the 
hour for prayer strikes, every Mohammedan sets every- 
thing aside and falls down, just where he is. He faces the 
jeering laugh of the crowd and the mockery of the un- 
believer. If in nothing else, surely in this the Moslem 
may easily serve as a shining example to millions of 
Christians. 

“Once, on account of an accident,’’ a missionary told 
me, ‘I returned home on horseback rather late in the night 
and casually passed a Mohammedan mosque. It was the 
month of Ramadan (month of fasting) and I heard the 
multitude inside murmuring their prayers with unique 
devotion. I could not refrain from observing them for 
a moment, before I continued my journey. ‘Poor, erring 
people,’ I thought, but added, ‘yet how devoutly they 
pray!’ ’’ Public prayers, led by an imam, are made on 
Friday and, in the month of Ramadan, in the mosque. 


’ 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 203 


The women are never present. Women seldom pray, 
and never in the mosque. Home, and only home, is the 
Mohammedan woman’s realm. | 

~The month of Ramadan is the month of fasting. In 
that month the Moslems commemorate the giving of the 
Koran, and the retreat of Mohammed on Mount Herat. 
The fast is very rigorous: from sunrise to sunset the use 
of any food or drink is strictly forbidden; neither are 
tobacco, perfumes, or pleasure-seeking allowed, —— even 
the swallowing of one’s spittle is prohibited. The fast 
is obligatory even for the school children, and one must 
often marvel at their serious adherence to this precept. 
In our school at Endeh (Middle Flores) nearly all our 
pupils are Moslems. When one of our missionaries first 
visited the school, in the month of Ramadan, he noticed 
how the children left, one after another, in order to ex- 
pectorate. He was about to comment on this, but deemed 
it more prudent to inquire first of the teacher, who an- 
_swered him: ‘‘Sir, it is the month of fasting, and there- 
fore, even their spittle may not be swallowed.’’ Of course, 
the missionary refrained from any remark, for any re- 
striction upon a holy precept of Mohammed would arouse 
their indignation, the consequences of which were not to 
be overlooked. 

This fast is by no means a trifling matter. Toward 
the end of the month one can discern many a Moslem 
who has lost both weight and strength. At the end of 
Ramadan, however, comes the great feast-day —— the 
Bairam, — the “‘breaking of the fast.’’ Then all sins of 
the past year are forgiven, Tuwan Allah then pardons 
all.. Splendid meals are held during the day and other 
pleasures brighten the night. On this day the neophytes 
are received into the Mohammedan community. On this 
day, too; alms are more generously distributed among the 


204 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


poor Moslems and the new converts; and this is the 
reason why it is of such paramount importance. The 
giving of alms is always highly recommended, but on the 
feast-day after Ramadan it is obligatory. How can these 
alms be better spent than in making new converts? During 
Ramadan, is, therefore, the opportune time to gain as 
many proselytes as possible, who on Bairam may become 
Mohammedans. Anticipating some fine donations from 
their Moslem friends, in the shape of a red-tarbush, cloth- 
ing, a chaplet or money, or being anxious to participate 
in the banquets of that day and to attend public worship 
in the mosque with the wealthy Arabs, they, the poor 
pagans, are frequently persuaded (and little wonder) to 
become Mohammedans. 

From all this we may conclude that, although most 
of the Arabs are neither catechists nor preachers, every 
one of them is a practiacl propagator of his faith. 


C. The Fanatical Natives 


It is rather difficult to describe the ‘‘fanatical natives,”’ 
for although they are aborigines of the Netherlands East 
Indies, they are by no means all natives of Flores. Many 
come from Celebes, Sumbawa, and other islands, and 
therefore show, more or less, Malayan characteristics. In 
their way of speaking and acting they manifest widely 
divergent traits. From close contact with the Arabs, 
they have adopted many practices peculiar to the Arabs; 
and this has produced results which are by no means 
always to their advantage. The people of Endeh, for 
instance, have an affected manner of speaking, while their 
business-like, avaricious natures and their atrocious deal- 
ings with the poor mountaineers are repulsive. These 
fanatics have been and still are the terror of the pagans. 
For fear of them, the natives have had to migrate, in the 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 205 


past centuries; and even to-day, in spite of government 
vigilance, conditions are far from agreeable. ‘The un- 
learned and simple pagans are continually robbed by these 
fanatics. However, we will not enter into the details of 
this subject, for the present they are only of interest to 
us in so far as they are characteristic of the followers of 
Mohammed. 

The fanatics dwell in smaller or larger villages along 
the coast. In the villages such as Larantuka and Maumere, 
where the Catholic population dominates, the Moslems 
live in a separate quarter. ‘Their influence on the Chris- 
tians is restricted; but on the other hand, they feel much 
stronger just because of this unity, and it is simply im- 
possible for our missionaries of Larantuka and Maumere 
to enter into any relations with them. In other places, 
such as Endeh, Pulau-Endeh, Nanganpandan, Reo, La- 
buan Badjo, Borang, and many others, where almost the 
whole population is Mohammedan, any other than nega- 
tive mission work is for the present entirely out of the 
question. By negative work we mean the prevention of 
any hostile acts against the missionaries. “This we achieve 
by means of our Catholic teachers in Mohammedan 
schools. For the remainder we cannot exert any influence 
upon them. To oppose their propaganda directly would 
be jumping from the frying-pan into the fire. 

Happily for us, the Moslems cannot use the sword. 
Nevertheless, the sword doctrine appeals to the natives. 
The story-tellers relate scores of fantastic tales about the 
gigantic deeds of Mohammed and his successors against 
Christianity. With lurid pictures to illustrate their tales, 
they dwell upon the miraculous results obtained during 
the past years; upon the revival of faith in Mohammedan 
circles; upon the longing desire of millions to enter their 
tanks and so on. Nor do they omit to add that the 


206 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Great Sultan will appear very soon in the Netherlands 
East Indies and also on Flores, in order to expel every 
foreigner and to establish the realm of the children of 
Mohammed. Father deLange has recently heard similar 
utterances from the mouths of the ignorant pagans, who 
asked him whether this were true or not. Even their 
demands in the League of Nations are well known, and 
heralded as the first prophetic omens of future victories. 
The beginning of this illustrious campaign has already 
been made by the founding of the Sarikat Islam. Backed 
by the support of this organization, the Moslems stand 
undaunted in their attacks upon Christianity and heathen- 
ism. Unless they are checked, only the future can reveal 
whither we are drifting in the Netherlands East Indies. 

Buoyed up by their prosperous association, the fanatic 
Moslems of Flores are more active at present than ever be- 
fore. Early in the morning, young Islamite catechists leave 
the coast-villages to instruct the pagans in the mountain 
hamlets. They patiently teach them the prayers, the 
chant, and the catechism. Difficulties concerning doc- 
trine and precepts are made and solved. What flatters 
the mind and heart of the pagans is time and time again 
repeated, what sounds harshly in their ears is forgotten 
or omitted. 


A. special topic to allure the listeners is their panegyric 
on the great prophet Mohammed: 


He, the mighty nabit (prophet) is the wonder of: all 
ages, — 

He, the key-bearer, who unlocked heaven for man- 
kind; 

He, the redeemer, petitioned from God by Abraham 
and announced to the world by Christ; 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES © 207 


He, the noble knight, who performed his nocturnal 
journies through the realms of peace on the winged 
steed “El Borak’’ (the Sparkling) ; 

He, the high priest, who had spoken and prayed with 
Abraham, Moses and Jesus Christ in Solomon's 
Temple; 

He, the chosen one, who had mounted to the cerulean 
blue on a ladder of light; 

He, the divine legate, whose forehead had been sealed 
with the prophet’s sign; 

He, finally, the only one worthy to be mentioned in 
one with God Almighty in the Moslem creed: 
“There is but one God and Mohammed is His 
prophet.”’ 


Another topic to enchant the listening crowd is the 
description of heaven. The Moslem catechist, who has 
studied his catechism zealously, dwells with real delight 

upon this subject: 


“Death is the bridge between time and eternity, the 
sweet and happy eternity. The tired wanderer enjoys 
in heaven perpetual youth, beauty, and vigor. He is 
wrapped in garments of the richest silks and brocades, and 
adorned with bracelets of gold and silver. His mansions 
are embellished with silken carpets and couches. His food 
is served in dishes of gold, and the supply of wine and 
sweet liquors is inexhaustible. Paradise is the empyrean 
with streams of milk and honey, gushing springs and 
fountains, over which the murmuring foliage hovers. Ever- 
lasting music and singing entrance continually the celes- 
tial denizens. But all this glory is as naught compared 
to association with the charming black-eyed girls of para- 
dise. These maidens, resplendent and beautiful, formed 
from pure musk and free from all natural contamination 


208 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


and inconveniences, are always willing to fulfil their de- 
sires and each Mohammedan in paradise has seventy-two 
at his disposal.”’ 

This narrative entirely enthralls the native imagina- 
tion, and through it many a poor man is deceived and 
converted. 

In fact, the number of conversions to Mohammedan- 
ism is yearly very great, and would be even larger could 
the Moslems nullify that one insuperable drawback, — 
namely, the prohibition of pork. “The natives like meat, 
because they get it so seldom. Not every one can keep a 
buffalo (carabao), and goats are few; so the easiest way 
to have a bit of meat, now and then, is to own a few 
pigs. Every native can afford one or more. But to the 
Mohammedan the use of pork is strictly forbidden, and . 
from this the pagans shrink. I do not exaggerate when 
| state that thousands on Flores have been prevented from 
becoming Moslems on account of this prohibition. Need- 
less to say, we are glad of it, and in so far as it is derived 
from the law of Moses, we owe a thousand thanks to God 
that He gave this command to the Jewish people. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST. INDIES 209 


CHAPTER XXIII 
The Conflict of Cross and Crescent 


The Mohammedans averse to our school methods — The 

lot of Mohammedan women — How wives are secured — 

Daily abuse and insults — Hard struggles of the Chris- 

tian converts — Astonishing results of the missionary’s 
labors. 


Before we had our standard schools in Flores, the 
children whose parents wished them to have a thorough 
training were sent to the Jesuit school at Muntilan, on 
Java, or to the Catholic school of higher training at 
Menado, on Celebes. This was totally against the wishes 
of our Moslem neighbors, and they tried various ingenious 
methods to prevent the sending away of the boys, and 
also to depreciate their education after their return. But 
now that all but the very highest normal branches are 
taught in our own standard or boarding-schoo! at Ndona, 
we find the opposition to the training scarcely less insistent. 
And the Mohammedan opposition against our day ju- 
venile schools is felt even more keenly. There is no com- 
pulsory school attendance on the islands, therefore the 
Islamites are at liberty to incite the natives against the 
idea of sending their children. Of course, in districts where 
they have little power, they achieve little; but in sections 
where their influence predominates, it is difficult to open 
a school; or, if there is one established, it is equally diffi- 
cult to maintain it with a sufficient number of pupils. 
Almost every missionary complains of the Mohammedan 
opposition he meets with in his mission. 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II . 14 


210 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Enough has been said to indicate the lot of woman 
in the Mohammedan religion; it presents one of the least 
attractive sides of the doctrine of Islam. People of Chris- 
tian countries can scarcely gain an adequate notion of the 
inferior state of women in heathen lands, and much less 
can they realize how deplorable is the condition of women 
among the True Believers, as the Mohammedans call 
themselves. In striking contrast with their pitiable lot 
is that of our Catholic womanhood! Assalam alaikum, 
ja Maria, penuh nimat; “Hail Mary, full of grace,’’ 1s 
wafted unto Mary thousands of times every day from our 
70,000 Catholics on Flores, and Mary, graciously listen- 
ing to the prayers, smiles upon her children in this poor 
missionary country. The missionary sees how that smile 
changes hel-wild creatures into pure and faithful women, 
and men, who as heathens never loved their wives, as 
Christians cherish them. 

But how different it is with the Moslems! Wife and 
husband have no love for each other; she is a servant, he 
is the master; she is the slave, he is the lord. True, Mo- 
hammed commands that kindness should be shown to- 
wards wives and slaves, but at the same time he permits 
his followers to do that which of its very nature excludes 
any love or kindness. Each Moslem may have four law- 
ful wives at one time, and these wives he may divorce 
whenever he pleases. Besides these, he may have as many 
slaves and concubines as he can afford. 

We need not enter into detail to show how this whole- 
sale polygamy destroys the holiness of matrimony, dis- 
solves the family tie, lowers the dignity of woman, and 
dooms her to a shameful seclusion. A maiden in the 
eyes of a Moslem is an inferior being; unmarried, she is 
not much more than a business article; once married, she 
is the obedient servant of her Moslem master. The Mo- 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 211 


hammedan girl is kept totally ignorant. School is strict- 
ly forbidden, her one and only mission being to serve. 
Her advice is not asked for, and she never advises; her 
objections are not listened to, and she seldom objects; 
she has no power to command, so she never commands; 
she is first, last, and foremost a subject of her lord. 

It often happens that one village is not sufficiently 
well-stocked with girls to provide for the harems of all 
the men, and the latter are forced to look elsewhere for a 
few extra wives. On Flores the deficit must be drawn 
from the inland mountain hamlets. The Moslem, once 
bent on securing a set number of wives, is never at a 
loss for ways and means to accomplish his purpose. The 
favorite means is to call in the assistance of a Moslem 
catechist. He knows where the choicest beauties are to 
be found. If the Moslem is rich and influential and can 
make it worth while, the catechist (I have seen them time 
and again) will visit the villages, especially Endeh and 
_ Braai, and return with two or three girls secured by fair 
means or foul. 

Another method in great favor among the Moslems is 
to lend rice, salt, tobacco, clothes, and money to the pa- 
gans, until the latter become hopelessly entangled in a sea 
of debt. Of course, the pagan cannot pay, and then the 
Moslem adopts a menacing attitude. The debtor has 
one avenue of escape left: he can clear himself by offering 
one of his daughters. In his distress he usually consents, 
and the Islamite adds another wife to his harem. 

Usually, however, the fanatics are not content with 
having secured the maiden. They now direct their ef- 
forts to gain the friendship of the whole family, in 
order to win all to Mohammedanism. With flattering 
and honied words, they are generally successful. During 
the first weeks, when the relatives visit the girl, common 


212 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


conversation and the giving of presents is carried on; 
the following months see a more intimate friendship: 
then religious conversation and discussion; next, argu- 
ment; further menace, in case of wavering; and finally, 
conversion. The Moslem returns the visit to the village 
of the family, and thus some influence is gained in the 
hamlet. In just this way the Islamites have won over 
several villages —- for instance, Wolowona, Radawuwu, 
Luadaara, Pemo, Ngela, Woona, and others. Nay, more, 
the villages which have been totally or almost Moham- 
medanized are closed to the missionaries, unless some 
special event occurs through which the Moslems lose their 
hold on the people. 

In spite of the dearth of girls in the Mohammedan 
villages, they sometimes make the sacrifice of one to gain 
an influential pagan, as will be illustrated by the following 
story. (Names are fictitious, though every word of the 
story is true.) Kimba, a very prominent native, was, 
until 1919, very kindly disposed toward the missionaries. 
His son attended one of our boarding-schools and be- 
came a Christian. “~The Mohammedans, knowing Kimba’s 
influence and hearing that his son had been baptized, 
planned to win him over. “They began to visit him at 
his mansion, daily; money flowed, clothing was given, 
honors paid, carriages were always at his disposal, — but 
Kimba, our staunch friend, was not thus to be persuaded. 
At last a very beautiful Mohammedan girl was presented 
to him. As was expected, the poor pagan, although fifty- 
five years of age, immediately fell in love with her. For 
her he became a fanatical Moslem. And in addition to 
the maiden he must have received a considerable purse, 
for he was able to buy a plantation with seven hundred 
fruit-bearing palm trees. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 213 


Once an Islamite, Kimba began to display a zeal such 
as we have seldom observed in any Moslem. ‘Through 
his influence the whole surroundings were terrorized; and 
as the population of the villages under his domain were 
still heathen, he started his propaganda. He gave three 
young girls to a young friend of his, Gero, who had been 
baptized long before; and as Kimba had succumbed, so 
did Gero. 


I hope I have helped to make it evident that the life 
of the missionary is, so to speak, one long, eventful, and 
difficult journey that finally ends before the judgment- 
seat of God. Every mission has its own difficulties. One 
of the bitterest crosses the missionary of the Little Sunda 
Islands has to bear is the insults of the Mohammedans. 

The Christians are usually called ‘“‘dogs’ or “‘pigs’’ 
(impure animals in the eyes of these fanatics) and the 
missionary is considered as impure as they. ‘The priests 
are regarded as foreigners, intruders, violators of their 
religious rights, enemies of Mohammed and his followers, 
foes of the people. So, on every occasion they must be 
scoffed at and scorned. “The Moslem has a myriad of in- 
sulting and base expressions ready at hand for the ridi- 
culing of priests, Christians, and the Catholic religion in 
general. 

Passing through a Mohammedan village, the inhabit- 
ants gaze at a missionary as though they had never be- 
fore seen a white man. It often happens that, when he has 
reached the village limits, their cries of abuse and mocking 
laughter follow him. If one chances to meet these fanat- 
ics on a lonely road, they are bold and often personally 
insulting. In pagan villages the arrival of a hated mis- 
sionary is announced, and as soon as he comes near, all the 
people withdraw to their huts and do not again appear 


214 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


until the “‘great dog’ has departed. 

Should Moslems pass the Christian chapel while serv- 
ices are going on, they imitate the singing and praying 
in a provoking manner; or set up their own Mohammedan 
songs, so loudly that our prayers become almost inaudible. 
This is not done by the aged Islamites, but by the young 
folk who daily pass our Ndona station on the way to 
market. 

I have already described how the Moslems converted 
Kimba, whose son had been baptized some time previously. 
As Kimba had become a rabid Islamite, he could not 
permit his son to be a Catholic; so he tried every means to 
win him over. First, he gave him a great amount of 
work to do on Sunday, so that the boy could no longer 
attend Mass. Once estranged from the missionary, Diga 
was ashamed to come to the station. His father then 
began to threaten him. He repeatedly told him: “My 
boy, if you remain a Catholic, my house will no longer 
harbor you. I will depose you from your office and will 
disinherit you. But if you turn Mohammedan, you will 
be my successor, and I will permit you to marry what- 
ever maidens you wish.” 

This was more than Diga could withstand. He yield- 
ed to allurements, and succumbed to threats; he soon be- 
came a Moslem, and anxiously awaited the fulfilment of 
his father’s promises. He selected his first bride from the 
village near our mission station at Ndona. On the ap- 
pointed day, the bride and bridegroom were brought from 
the house of the bride to that of the husband (this is the 
usual procedure at Moslem marriages). They had to pass 
our mission station, and this was the main purpose of the 
celebration. “They wanted to heap contempt on the Cath- 
olic priests, and they succeeded. For about fifteen minutes 
they laughed and scoffed at the inhabitants of this sta- 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 215 


tion; but the Fathers silently prayed for the poor renegade 
who was thus openly showing his ingratitude. 

In Ndeto-Soko our missionaries had a good school of 
catechumens, where there were a few girls of about eight- 
een years. After they had finished their course, they were 
baptized, and henceforth tried to do their duty faithfully. 
Kimba, having heard of this, directed his secretary to secure 
one of these girls. Nothing was easier for Toka, who cast 
fear wherever he went. The pagan father of the girl, 
unconscious of the fact that a Catholic must marry a Cath- 
olic, sold his unfortunate daughter to oka for a 
goodly sum. The missionary, hearing of this, set 
out at once for Ndeto-Soko, and found ‘YToka still 
there. The priest called the family together and ex- 
pounded to them the Catholic doctrine concerning mar- 
riage. The exposition pleased the pagans, but not Toka, 
who burst forth into a torrent of filthy and dirty language. 
The Father refuted all the accusations, and finally the 
money was returned to Toka, who left, but only to lie 
in ambush for the Father. When the priest drew near, 
Toka sprang out, brandishing a dagger, and made for him. 
Unafraid, the missionary stood his ground. Grasping the 
upraised arm of the infuriated man he exclaimed, loudly: 
“’Toka, Toka, think what you are about to do.’ This 
admonition struck to the heart of Toka, and the dagger 
fell from his hand. The missionary, after a few kind 
words, continued his journey. 

Indeed the scorn and contempt on the part of the 
Moslems are bitter to the missionary, but if patiently suf- 
fered, the advantages are surely greater than all the hard- 
ships entailed. They force the missionary to steady 
watchfulness and untiring and ceaseless prayer and sacri- 
fice while the thought that the good Lord will repay his 
sacrifices spurs him on to new efforts. 


216 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


But if every Catholic school is a thorn that pierces the 
heart of the Moslem, every priest is a sword that cuts it 
in twain, and every Christian a stone upon which he 
stumbles. And since there are over 70,000 Catholics on 
Flores and ‘Timor, we can in some manner understand 
the hostile attitude and scorn and revenge to which the 
Moslem resorts. But the matter is worth some further 
exemplification. | 

Certain mountain villages of the sub-division of 
Maumere, where the population is a mixture of Chris- 
tians and pagans, were continually frequented by some 
Mohammedans of the coast. The innocent mountaineers 
were subject to much fraud, and many of the girls were 
drawn to Mohammedan villages, and then forced to mar- 
ry Moslems. Struggles were inevitable, but victory lay 
with the mountaineers. Soon the Mohammedans sought 
revenge, and burned down a whole town. It was a con- 
siderable loss. for the poor villagers, but a greater for the 
Moslems; for the mountaineers swore perpetual enmity 
against them. ‘This incident, though it happened long 
ago, is still vivid in the minds of the people. It has 
been related throughout all the villages, and the conse- 
quence is that the Moslem fears to approach them. This, 
of course, is to our advantage; because of it we are able 
to boast of great success in this sub-division. Their wiles 
in this case returned upon them, like a boomerang. 

His Lordship, the Right Rev. J. A. Verstraelen, vicar 
apostolic of the Little Sunda Islands, writes, in a letter 
dated January 22, .1924, about a visit which he made to 
the island of Adonara: ‘“‘From Hada-Rewa (Lomblem) 
we made our way to the territory of the Mohammedan 
king of Adonara, who rules over a great part of Lomblem. 
The people are still pagan, though the king tries to win 
them to Mohbammedanism. He has strictly forbidden the 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 217 


chief of Wai-puka to permit any religious instruction in 
the schools. The chief told me this. I, however, asked 
the children who had already received instructions whether 
they wished to become Catholics. They unanimously 
answered: ‘Yes.’ Then I explained to the chief that the 
king had no power over the religious freedom of the peo- 
ple; and to show this, I immediately baptized twenty- 
two children, of whom I took three to the boarding- 
school of Larantuka. Every cne of the twenty-two re- 
ceived a medal upon his breast, to show that Christianity 
was to maintain its hold upon this village.”’ 

A teacher complained to a missionary that a baptized 
child of the village had been kidnapped by a hadji under 
the pretext of espousing her to a Mohammedan youth of 
his village. “The Father at once made for the hadyt’s 
residence, and demanded the restoration of the child to her 
parents. After long hesitation the hadji submitted; but 
he determined to get the girl at any price, just because 
she had been baptized. He returned to the family and 
forced them to yield, and menaced them with serious 
threats of what he would do if they should again claim 
the girl. He succeeded in frightening them, and the 
missionary could do nothing. The girl is now receiving 
a Mohammedan education. 

Elizabeth, another young girl of marriageble age, 
was sold by her pagan parents to a young Mohammedan. 
Although she lived in purely pagan surroundings, she 
was an extremely strong and courageous girl, and obsti- 
nately refused to marry the youth. The parents, think- 
ing it to be a childish caprice, tried to force her by scourg- 
ing, but Elizabeth remained steadfast. The frequent repe- 
tition of the beating would not sway her, and her parents, 
fearing lest they should lessen her value, returned the 
money to the wooer and left her in peace. 


218 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


The new converts in Islamite villages have had at 
times hard struggles. Quite often they come to the mis- 
sionary, and show bruises and torn clothes which they 
have received at the hands of the Moslems. Another meth- 
od of persecution is to secure an increase of the taxes 
of Christians living in those territories ruled by a Mo- 
hammedan king. Our missionaries tell the people that 
our Lord will certainly punish such evil deeds; and in 
fact this has come true. One king, on account of his 
unjust behavior, has been deposed from office; and another, 
who dealt treacherously with the missionaries and mal- 
treated his Catholic subjects, was suddenly called to give 
an account before the judgment-seat of God. Little law- 
suits are commonly decided by the Moslem rulers, in 
favor of the Mohammedan or pagan party. The Moslem 
possesses a marvelous mental dexterity in lessening his own 
offense and enlarging that of his Christian opponent. 

In view of these difficulties, so peculiar to every mis- 
sionary in pagan-Mohammedan countries, we may well 
ask with astonishment: “‘But how is it that every mis- 
sionary in the Little Sunda Islands has baptized, in the 
past year, twice as many pagans as, say, a missionary in 
the most flourishing mission in China?’ Again: ““Why 
has every missionary in these same islands had six times 
as many communions as any missionary in an equally 
flourishing mission in China?’’ And a question may also 
be asked in a similar manner concerning confessions heard 
and other sacraments administered on the islands. It is 
indeed almost a miracle. One reason I was given for this 
is that the very fact of the unheard-of injuries inflicted 
upon the missionaries and Christians by the Mohamme- 
dans and the patience exercised in enduring them has 
helped to bring about the unusual spiritual result. Suf- 
ferings have always been the most fruitful means of grace. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 219 


Christ Himself has redeemed the world by His sufferings 
and death. It can not be otherwise than that the sufferings 
of His missionaries call down innumerable blessings from 
above. We have, therefore, every reason to thank our 
Lord in that He rewards the sacrifices of His dear friends 
in such a beautiful manner; and we should pray that this 
spirit of self-sacrifice may continue to burn in the hearts 
of all the future missionaries who will be chosen to give 
their lives for His cause on these wonderful islands in 
the South Sea. 


220 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XXIV 


An Inestimable Service 


An opportune transfer of a feast —- Brothers Lambertus 

and Joseph and their stories of mission labors on Flores — 

A mission above the clouds —- Temporary hardships — 

Rapid building operations —- The ‘“‘ITwelve Apostles’ 

and the later ‘‘disciples’’ —- Great misstonary success and 

great success with the schools — Father Schoorlemmer 
in Bad jawa — The building of the pier. 


Sunday turned out to be the nineteenth of the month, 
therefore the feast of St. Joseph was postponed until 
Monday; but we were to begin our mission conference 
on that day. However, I knew that the Brothers would 
certainly celebrate, for is not St. Joseph the special patron 
of all carpenters, and are not our Brothers in this mis- 
sion carpenters before all else? For this reason I felt that 
I could expect the more easily to come into their good 
grace on the Sunday and obtain from them much that I 
wanted to learn of the mission life as seen particularly 
from their angle of vision. And in this I was success- 
ful, for Brothers Lambertus and Joseph eagerly en- 
tered into conversation with me, and glowingly related 
their experiences. 

Brother Lambertus had been in Ndona since 1915, 
when he accompanied Msgr. Noyen to this section, in 
search of a suitable place for the erection of a school. 
‘Therefore he could point with pardonable pride to the 
beautiful Ndona mission station, since he had been its 
builder, from start to finish. He told how, for the first 
month after their arrival, Msgr. Noyen had shared with 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 221 


him a mean little native hut, and how they had got on 
together, in almost primitive fashion. [he people were 
all pure pagans and were for some time entirely at a loss 
to know how to account for these white interlopers. But 
little by little the missionaries were able to convince the 
ancients of the village that their intentions were of the 
best, and that they only desired to give their services for 
the benefit of the inhabitants, and neither to plunder or 
to exploit them. Soon after came confidence, then friend- 
ship, with good-will and mutual aid everywhere expressed. 
With the proffered assistance it became possible to begin 
to build and really to set in action their plans for good 
work. 

Such things as they required for building, they had to 
fetch in a rude cart, pulling the vehicle themselves, al! 
the way up-hill from Endeh. As there was at the time 
no bridge across the river. which divides Ndona from 
Endeh, the whole question of transportation was upon 
occasions no light problem; sometimes they were forced 
to make a crossing by fording when it looked as though 
cart, materials, and people would be swept down-stream 
by the swiftly moving current. 

Brother Joseph is a thoroughly sanguine type, and 
his bubbling optimism which showed itself at every de- 
parture of his narrative, when his turn came, caused me 
to shout with laughter, a dozen times, during that Sunday 
morning chat. His whole story was so interesting that I 
am going to give it in full, especially because it will serve 
to set forth in the most convincing manner the principal 
point that I would like to make in this chapter, — that 
of the great importance of the position and tasks which 
the Brothers on the missions have to fulfill. Of course, 
the one obvious fact that the Brothers are the builders of 
all the external features (churches, schools, houses, etc.) 


222 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


of the missions establishes the prominence of their labors 
without further ado; but I wish to tell more than this. 
So, now to revert to Brother Joseph. 

Since I told him that I looked to him for an “‘official”’ 
report of his doings, he mockingly began in this wise: 

“Behold Brother Joseph, born Segerink (the family 
name) baptized Gerard, sent to school at Losser (Hol- 
land), trained to be a farmer, called to become a Brother, 
professed as Joseph, changed into a painter, sent out to 
the missions (at the tender age of twenty-two!), incor- 
porated there among a band of carpenters; finally, as 
such (that is, a carpenter) ordered (after being on the 
mission just one year) to proceed to the new mountain 
mission of Toda-Belu and there to erect the necessary 
buildings, and, having finished this task, to proceed to do 
a similar job for another mountain mission called Badja- 
wa! ‘There you have a variegated history in a nutshell! 
But life, from then on, has been perhaps more prosaic, 
yet not less arduous. However, let me return to the 
story of Toda-Belu. 

“It was on May 5, 1920, that I went with Msgr. 
Noyen (may he rest in peace!) and Father Ettel to open 
a new mission station in this part of the sub-division of 
Ngada. Toda-Belu with its immediate environment is 
a pleasant place, is four thousand feet above the level of 
the sea, and often from one to three thousand feet above 
the scurrying clouds. It is surrounded by densely populat- 
ed villages, backed by extinct or active volcanoes, and wa- 
tered by silver-pure springs; while the soil is so fertile and 
the climate so agreeable that the missionaries are now able 
to raise nearly all the vegetables of the temperate zones. 
But this last is a part of my story, and I am anticipating. 
For white people, it is truly a most favorite and desirable 
spot. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 223 


“The Dutch government has made a footpath from 
this place down to the shore; but because of the lack of 
bridges, this path can only be used on horseback or on 
foot; and all building materials and the like must, there- 
fore, be carried by the people to the station ——- a distance 
of more than twenty-seven miles. Of course there are 
shorter paths, but they are in such condition that one 
is fortunate if he succeeds in ascending or descending 
safely without attempting to carry any freight. In one 
such path the traveler must climb part of the way be- 
tween tree limbs, on a bamboo ladder, and then jump 
down, passing onward and upward along the trail. 

“As for us, on that day, our coming was expected, 
and a little ‘grass house’ had been erected previous to our 
arrival. This grass house consisted of one large chamber. 
After Msgr. Noyen had returned to the central station, 
Father Ettel agreed with me that it should be divided into 
two parts, by means of two posts: ‘This part will be called 
your chamber,’ said Father Ettel, ‘and that part mine.’ 
Thus each of us had a room. Then Father Ettel declared, 
‘We must also have a chapel!’ and he erected a provisional 
altar, stretched an altar cloth in front of it, and said, 
“This part of my chamber will be used for a chapel, and 
the rest will serve for my sleeping-room, my parlor, my 
everything!’ And since there was only one table, Father 
Ettel said again, ‘Let us put the table between the posts, 
so that I may have two thirds of it, and you, one-third.’ 
And so he did, and he called the two thirds, his table, 
and the one third, mine. 

“You see, the whole tale runs along quite in Old 
Testament style —- it often makes me think of the first 
chapter of Genesis, just as my own personal historical 
record seems to resemble the beginnings of some of those 
Old Testament genealogical tables. 


224 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


“Well, as I was saying, we had the grass house 
nicely proportioned between us, yet we had no idea that 
it would be sheltering us for more than a few weeks at the. 
most. But right here let me tell you that those few 
weeks were greatly extended — in fact, they grew and 
grew until we had dwelt in this little hut for upwards. 
of a year and a half. You see, it had been expected that 
we should obtain timber and boards for our buildings, 
with the arrival of the next steamer, at Endeh, below; 
but the only thing that the boat brought for us was: 
tidings that our lumber contractor had gone bankrupt. 
As a consequence, our missionaries were obliged to seek 
out, first, a new and reliable lumber company, then to 
order anew, and finally, patiently to wait for the arrival 
of the new lot of lumber and boards: but their waiting, 
down below, was nothing to ours, up in the clouds. 

“During the fair and dry season, from May to Octo- 
ber, the grass house was fairly comfortable; but when the 
rainy season began, abundant showers descended upon 
an abode that was not fitted to withstand water. By 
day this was not so very disagreeable; but at night it oft- 
en happened that we two had to take up our beds and 
wander about, hoping to find some spot above which was 
as yet impervious to water. One can imagine how anx- 
iously we longed for our new home, and how thankful 
and glad we were when we entered our new building — 
the ‘parish house,’ —- in November, 1921. 

“And now about the people. The pagans in Toda- 
Belu are truly original and independent in their ways. 
It was only in 1917 that they made their first acquain- 
tance with the guns of the soldiers. Before that time, the 
white man was not known; and before that time the 
Catholic religion was not known; yes, yes, before that time 


njaq epoOy JO sure[g 94} UO asnoYyl[ooyIS ve spring ydoesof 194}01g 











Brother Joseph, ‘Contractor and Builder,’ with Eleven of his 
“Twelve Apostles” of Spade and Shovel, Saw and Chisel, Lime, 
Mortar, and Cement 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 225 


might and heathenism reigned, overcoming everyone and 
everything. 

Since 1917, the Dutch government has taken residence 
in Badjawa, and has endeavored to civilize these people; 
and since 1920, the Catholic missionaries have taken up 
their abode among them, bringing to them the dearest 
treasure on earth —— the Catholic Faith. 

“In many respects these people differ from the other 
tribes of Flores, the principal distinction between them 
being caused by the climate. In their location, it is cool; 
below, it is warm. The cocoanut palm does not grow in 
the highlands while elsewhere there is a veritable sea of 
palms. “The consequence is that the people above are com- 
paratively industrious, while below they are lazy. Again, 
the highland people are extremely dirty, while those living 
along the coast are comparatively clean; and this last is, 
at the least, also true of the natives in the villages which 
are situated on the banks of rivers. 

“Their fashion in dress, especially that of the women, 
in and about Toda-Belu, is very modest, consisting of one 
large, woven garment tied over the shoulders. This 
is the only garment they use. It is the same for all. 
Their customs are naturally heathenish. The wife is 
the slave of her husband. She has been bought by him 
for a prize —- anywhere from two hundred to three 
thousand dollars. She enjoys a certain freedom; but this 
freedom is exercised in serving her husband faithfully. A 
white man who has the same means will, perhaps, pur- 
chase an auto: a native here who has the money buys a 
wife. The native King of Badjawa — Pea-Mole — 
has five wives. ‘This alone may serve to convince you of 
the low estate of the women. Only Christianity can 
redeem the world from this. 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 15 


226 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


‘‘Nevertheless, the people have a good character. The 
Fathers are often amazed to note their natural virtues; and 
it is true that even in the few years of their residence they 
have already gained the friendship of most of them. In 
twenty-four villages they have erected schools, and in 
many more the Fathers have baptized children. And 
they could baptize many thousands more, if they were 
certain that they could give them a Catholic education. 

When we first arrived at the grass house, we were 
almost immediately encircled (at a respectful distance) 
by curious natives who thought us officers of the govern- 
ment. Father Ettel, when at Ndona, had written down 
many words of their language, and had some of them 
ready at hand, but by far the larger number were still in 
his note-book! But even I was.totally without linguistic 
resources, and seeing the natives staring, I uttered some 
broken words in their language. 

“ ‘Hey! Tuwan! Hey! Tuwan!’ they, at once eseet a 
and then solemnly assured one another: “They know 
our language! They must be good men! Sure! Sure! 
Of course!’ } 

“Astonished, laughing, and summoning courage, they 
began to make friendly advances. Soon they closed in 
upon us, and then we had for the first time an opportu- 
nity to become aware of the loathsome odor that accom- 
panied them. Sad to relate, this is not the sole opportu- 
nity of the sort that has been ours. With streams sup- 
plying hardly sufficient water for drinking purposes and 
the ordinary necessities of cooking and the like, the peo- 
ple do not bathe; moreover, the comparative cold makes 
them wish to retain the dirt upon them, in order to keep 
warm. In fact, some of the people in the mountainous 
districts actually rub mud into their clothing until it 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 227 


forms an impervious texture which serves well to keep the 
cold blasts of wind from their bodies. | 

“Tt was not long before they began to come with 
all kinds of lawsuits, supposing that we —- ‘Most just, 
most holy, and learned white men!’ —- would be entirely 
competent to decide these matters in an honorable man- 
ner. Father Ettel declared, again and again, that he had 
quite another purpose in coming to them; and finally, 
notwithstanding their disappointment at his failure to 
make good in a judicial capacity, he truly gained their 
favor, and this favor has continued to this day. 

“But I wanted to tell you that, upon getting the news 
of the failure of the first lumber supply, I felt that I had 
to scurry around to find other work. But it did not take 
long to supply the want. With a number of boys whom 
I secured, I began to break the ground behind the grass 
house and to plant potatoes, beans, carrots, greens, toma- 
toes, and soon. After a few weeks there was a flourish- 
ing garden, with all kinds of greens and vegetables com- 
ing up; after four months, we ate our own potatoes; beans, 
carrots, and the rest. “That was a consolation. In fancy, 
I began to build aircastles concerning this fertile land: 
already I saw a hundred cows grazing, — and horses, and 
sheep, and goats! This, I thought, will supply all our 
mission stations with meat, milk, and butter! Further, 
I actually went on to grow all kinds of fruit as well as 
vegetables. 

“In the meantime, Brother Gallus came upon the 
scene, and it was really left to him to carry out my dream; 
for, after ten months, the new timber arrived. By that 
time I had gathered about me, from all over Flores, what 
I came to call my band of ‘twelve apostles’. Among these 
were some comparatively good carpenters, and we now 
started to measure, to saw, to plane, to glue, to join to- 


228 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


gether, to nail, and to erect a priest's residence, also a 
‘hospital’ (this has been used, up to the present time, for 
a chapel, —— because there are no sick up there, — a 
school, and a storehouse). 

“But as I said, Brother Gallus succeeded to my garden 
and farm dreams, and he succeeded in making the most of 
them come true, too. Why, at present, a very considerable 
amount of farm products (I want here to especially men- 
tion potatoes, because we were formerly obliged to buy 
all the potatoes we had, from Java, and at great ex- 
pense) is delivered, every season, from this Toda-Belu 
farm to all our mission stations in Flores. 

“As for me, I felt it to be a glad day when they 
brought over our poor pieces of furniture from the grass 
house into the new parish home. During the first days of 
living in the new quarters, we felt as happy as children 
with a mouth and two hands full of candy. We could 
hardly realize what had, finally, actually come to pass, — 
no grass beneath, above, nor around; but a cemented floor, 
a water-tight roof, and white walls! Oh, this was too 
much! 

“Of course, we were even more glad to have a special 
chapel for our Saviour. During the first year and a 
half, it had been impossible to retain the Blessed Eucharist, 
but now we had a place; and to have this good Friend and 
Consoler in the tabernacle is, for the missionary, more 
than a compensation for all he has left, and for all he has 
to endure. 

‘Then we built the school. It contains five large 
rooms, and accommodates one hundred and fifty pupils. 
Every room has large glass windows; this is in marked 
contrast to the other boarding-schools, all of which are 
situated, without exception, below the clouds, it is fre- 
quently cold, and closed windows are therefore needed. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 229 


This school building looks like a palace in the midst of 
the poor native huts. Hundreds of natives have come 
here, just to pass the station and to stare, amazed and 
wondering, at the buildings. According to their opinion, 
our institutional buildings are the most beautiful struc- 
tures on earth. But of course, they have no knowledge 
of the world. Their world is the village and some 
twenty villages around it. 

“A storehouse was also found to be necessary, for 
we found it impossible to buy corn and rice from the 
people more than twice a year: therefore, an abundant 
provision became necessary to fill one hundred and fifty 
hungry stomachs, twice a day, for upwards of one hundred 
and seventy schooldays. 

Father Ettel’s success with the people was so un- 
expected and so complete that he soon required an assist- 
ant; and this we received in the person of Father Schoor- 
lemmer, who was sent to Badjawa and its surroundings 
for his field of activities. But there was no house for 
Father Schoorlemmer at Badjawa —— not even a grass 
house; and he began his ministrations by sleeping in the 
office of the government officials, and spending his days 
among the ill-smelling huts of the natives. Thus seven 
months passed; but in the eighth, the good Father had 
to be brought to Ndona for the benefit of his health. 
‘Thereupon I received orders from Ndona to erect a priest’s 
house in Badjawa; so I hurried thither with my ‘twelve’ 
and some lately acquired ‘disciples,’ and there, during 
the ninth and tenth months, I built a parish house. In 
the eleventh month Father Schoorlemmer returned to his 
beloved Badjawa, and found there his own sweet home.’ 

The success of the mission work in Flores is, as we 
shall see in another chapter, largely owing to the magnif- 
icent school system, and the sub-division of Ngada par- 


230 ALONG THE MISSION. TRAIL 


ticipates in its advantages. For the year 1922, thirteen 
new schools were ordered to be erected. Brother Joseph 
first thought he could never get so many buildings ready; 
then he began to make plans. He divided the ‘‘twelve and 
the disciples’ into five groups, and sent them out to dif- 
ferent districts, to start work; then he traveled rapidly 
from one place to another, to give commands, to cor- 
rect, and to help. It was a hard job; but the harder the 
job, the sweeter the reward. In October, 1922, thirteen 
new schools were opened, and five hundred and twenty 
heathen boys and girls entered upon:their hours of study, 
to receive 2 good foundation of education with a staunch 
religious background. It is precisely this feature which 1s 
sO conspicuous in our missions. All our school children 
— with the exception of a few already converted to 
Mohammedanism -— become Catholics; and since this 
happens with the consent of their parents, it 1s easy to 
discern what is the attitude of the natives toward Catho- 
lic priests. | 

But soon after the opening of the schools, orders 
arrived from Ndona to shut down all other building work 
for the time being. The condition of the mission safe 
was such that, even with a spy-glass and the lantern of 
Diogenes, one could not find a banknote in it. There 
was nothing there but unpaid bills. ‘‘Try to help your- 
selves,’’ was the advice urged upon us. But how? Hap- 
pily, there came government officials to our Fathers, ask- 
ing whether Brother Joseph and his men would not build 
a pier for them on the south coast of Flores, near Aimere. 
Of course, under the circumstances in which the mis- 
sionaries found themselves, they said that he would. So, 
on a certain morning in October the Brother again gathered 
his “twelve and. the disciples,’’ and spoke of the new job; 
then he prepared everything they needed, and proceeded 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 231 


to slide down from “‘above the clouds,’’ some four thou- 
sand feet, into the sea water on the south coast. ‘The 
pier was to be one hundred and seventy-five feet long 
and twenty feet broad! No trifle, that! With only a 
few tools and one hundred and twenty natives, Brother 
Joseph and his men — none of them with any experience 
in the work before them — started in. Neither he nor 
any of the natives could swim, yet they had to be in 
the water and to constantly take advantage of the ebb- 
tide, because, when the water was high it was too deep. 
Sometimes, even during ebb-tide, the water was from six 
to seven feet in depth. The natives were afraid of the 
water, especially because they got so cold; so Brother 
Joseph had to set the example. Working time changed 
every day, according to the tide; and it happened that 
they were often in the water as early as five o'clock in 
the morning, and continued there until eleven. The 
Brother could not leave, or else it would be said: ‘The 
Tuwan gets cold — he goes! Let us follow!’’ and all 
would give up their work. 

No sooner did they finish their task, day after day, 
than they dropped down in the sand on the shore, and 
remained there until their clothes were dry again. Often, 
also, they inadvertently swallowed a draught of sea water, 
with, not infrequently, some unpleasant results. Yet their 
work advanced and was at last completed, and the re- 
sult has been pronounced excellent. The pier stands 
staunchly out in the waves, and invites the passengers 
of the steamers to visit the shore. 

This report of the Brothers’ life in Flores very largely 
appertains to the experiences of Brothers Joseph and 
Lambertus, but it has included a sufficiently ample view 
of life and labor as distinctly characteristic of the brother- 
hood in general to really serve its purpose. Moreover, 


232 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


I have here and there introduced several others among 
the Brothers, in different parts of my narrative through- 
out the book. For instance you will remember how 
Brother Willibrordus captained us on our perilous sea 
passage from Larantuka to Endeh. Again, you will re- 
call Brother Theophorus’ excellent work in Ili. But these 
accounts have been introduced just as the circumstances 
and opportunities of our trip allowed. Many other 
labors equally attractive and full of worth must remain, 
to be recorded at another time. In all, there are fourteen 
Brothers laboring either in Flores or Timor. A Brother 
is so often referred to as a priest’s ‘right hand,’ and he is 
surely all of this on the missions. He takes the place of 
the good deacons of old, during the time of the apostolic 
mission tours of such as St. Paul, who ever had Mark 
at his side, as scribe and messenger and a performer of 
innumerable services. For it is true that, without 
Brothers, the missionary priests would have to give time 
and energies to housing and building, to farming and 
manual labor, and to a hundred and one other external 
matters of a material nature, which would be sure to 
reduce the value and extent of their spiritual services by 
at least one half. And so it is’ on Flores and Timor. 
‘The Brothers largely attend to the upkeep of the mission 
buildings and grounds, frequently have oversight of the 
boy converts and pupils in certain departments, as, for 
instance, in the technical schools and agricultural branches. 
And all along through their labors runs the stream of 
spiritual power and influence which their very lives call 


forth. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 233 


CHAPTER XXV 
“Whose Names Are in the Book of Life” 


Sisters’ temporary accommodations in Ndona — Sisters’ 

early reception in Ndona — The boarding-school (selec- 

tion of girls) — Disctpline —- Encouragement to mar- 

riage —- Scope of training for the girls —- Kampong 

visits — The Sisters’ services in the larger institutions — 

Their crowning achievement — Exemplification of grati- 
tude. 


Between the hours of conference, on Monday, I found 
time to visit the Sisters, to visit their boarding-school for 
girls, and to learn a very great deal about their social work. 

It has already been stated that the Sisters of 
Heythuizen (Franciscans) from Holland had been in the 
islands since 1879, and that the last of their community 
left in April (some of them after over forty years of 
inestimable services) of the year in which this book is 
published (1925). There were eighteen Franciscan Sisters 
in the community at the time of my visit. It is hoped 
and even ardently expected that they will be succeeded, 
in Larantuka, by a community of our own Missionary 
Sisters, Servants of the Holy Ghost. But thus far our 
Sisters have located only in Ndona, Lela, and Djopu, on 
Flores. On Timor they have but one station, that is 
Lahurus. In all, there were twenty-seven Sisters, S.Sp.S., 
in Flores and Timor when I was there. 

The Sisters’ general accommodations and surround- 
ings as I found them at Ndona were none of the best, 
although there were not wanting indications that more 
satisfactory conditions were in store for them. But for the 


234 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


time being they were living in what had been an old 
barn — a structure which had reached a very dilapidated 
condition. In no one portion of the building was the 
roof in a sound condition; therefore there was not a room 
in the house which could be kept dry and comfortable 
during the rainy season. Camping out under such con- 
ditions generally does very well for a few days or a 
week; but even then, a wet spell is generally sufficient 
to greatly dampen the ardor of enthusiasts. But when 
it comes to putting up with this sort of thing as a 
regular sate of affairs, month in and month out, then 
the whole picture takes on a different hue. Moreover, 
all the attending circumstances of a lark or a season of 
pure sport are lacking. But for all that, the Sisters have 
something far more potent to keep up their courage and 
their real liking for conditions just as they find them: 
they have the supernatural motive of working for and 
along with our divine Lord, for the salvation of souls; 
and they have the inexpressible privilege of possessing 
our Lord’s constant Presence, in the Blessed Sacrament, 
with them, by day and by night. 

When the Sisters first came to Ndona, they were by no 
means received with a vociferous or uproarious welcome. 
On the contrary, they had first to face an almost severe 
attitude of reserve and unresponsiveness to every attempted 
friendly approach. But the Sisters lost no time in making 
it evident that they had come to serve the interests of 
the people; and as has repeatedly been the case with the 
Fathers, they very soon won the confidence and real 
friendship of the women and children. Then the atti- 
tude of distrust and withdrawal changed to one of ex- 
treme respect and almost veneration, for the people began 
to look upon the Sisters (the blue habits helped to en- 
courage their credulity) as something a little more than 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 235 


human, — which, indeed they truly are, in the best 
sense of the word. 

Of course, this great confidence among the people 
which they have won reacts. most favorably upon the 
work of the missionaries themselves; and the combined 
forces of priests, Brothers, and Sisters tend to win the 
people rapidly for all the good things that are in store 
for them. Particularly do they show appreciation of 
the benefits which ouyg holy religion is fast bringing 
upon them; and they are likewise coming to recognize the 
inestimable benefits of the educational advantges that are 
now freely offered. 

Great is the work which is accomplished in the girls’ 
boarding-school, both here in Ndona and in the other 
centers; but because of lack of accommodations and other 
considerations, great discrimination is used in selecting 
girls for these schools. “Those who show great aptness 
for study; those who are well born; and who will doubt- 
less become the wives of kings’ sons or of sons of vil- 
lage chiefs: such young persons are principally chosen; 
for. the great desire and need is to establish some truly 
Catholic families among the natives as soon as possible, 
and to provide the grammar schools with competent and 
trustworthy native women teachers. 

The Sisters are able to exercise excellent discipline in 
the school. The pupils are divided into three classes: the 
little ones, the younger girls, and the grown-ups. As 
a rule, the children come to the school and there remain 
with the Sisters until the time of their marriage. Indeed, 
a goodly number of the older ones in some of the board- 
ing-schools are already espoused when they enter. Again, 
it may be that a catechist, or a Catholic native student of 
the boarding-school for boys, upon graduating, desires 
a pagan native girl for his wife. He then arranges to 


236 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


send her to the Sisters’ boarding-school, in order that 
she may not only be trained in religion and become a 
true Christian, but also that she may be made proficient 
in the western arts of cookery and housekeeping, and may 
receive, besides, a sound elementary education, at least. 

From what has been said, it is at once evident how 
desirable and even necessary it is for missionaries to 
secure marriages between the Catholic girl students of the 
Sisters’ schools and the boys of our Standard boarding- 
schools; for without attaining something of this sort it 
is impossible to expect that a mission will develop into 
a permanent Christian center. Here then, as has been 
hinted at, comes into play one special function of our 
boarding-schools on Flores and Timor. When the young 
people arrive at the marrying age, or when they are about 
to graduate, if they have not already become espoused, the 
young men are often advised to secure for themselves 
wives from among the students at the girls’ boarding- 
school. It is quite apropos to mention here that, with 
an eye to this future contingency, the young men are fre- 
quently seen rather sharply scrutinizing the lines of girls 
whenever there is an opportunity —— for instance, when 
they appear marching up to the chapel for certain feast- 
day celebrations. 

If a young man at last becomes persuaded that he will 
surely seek out some one for marriage, then he approaches 
the priest and informs him of the matter. At once the 
missionary in charge communicates the fact to the superior 
of the girls’ school, who, in her turn, proceeds to inform 
the favored one, or as the case may possibly require, to 
select a suitable match for the young man. If, upon the 
first meeting, the young man proves to be a bit diffident 
and bashful, then it devolves upon the Sister to assume, 
as one other among the very many novel and often 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 237 


seemingly incongruous tasks which the Missionary Sis- 
ters are bound to accept, the gentle office of ‘match-maker’ ; 
and this role she usually fills with entire success and satis- 
faction to all concerned. 

As for the school training, it is thorough and excellent 
in every detail; and sometimes I have been tempted to 
think, since my visit to the schools on Flores and Timor, 
that the education there is better in many respects than that 
we now give our own children at home. To-day we 
indulge in so much dabbling, in our elementary schools, 
— teaching, instead of fundamentals principally, little 
stray bits of information in every branch of science, and 
art, and esthetics, and what not. Not that these things 
should not be taught, but they ought not to be introduced 
until a thorough grounding has been secured in the sheer 
rudiments of all educational pursuits. I mention this 
here, because conditions on the Little Sunda Islands are 
such as to conduce to the practice of the earlier and more 
homely. educational methods of our forefathers. For, 
although the young boys and girls training in the board- 
ing-schools are those of the better class, most of them 
being destined for places of more or less responsibility 
among the people, nevertheless, the very plan of living 
and the ancient customs of the people all tend to lend 
dignity to the more practical and sometimes even lowly 
branches of education. So it comes to pass, in the Sisters’ 
schools, that the girls are taught to read and to write and 
to spell, and also to ‘figure’; but furthermore, they are 
trained to sew and to weave, to wash and iron, to make 
dresses, to make sleeping mats of home production, also 
baskets for carrying and storing produce; again, they 
are taught how to plan and manage a garden to the very 
best advantage, how to cook food that will be wholesome 
and palatable, how to order a household aright, and to 


238 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


care for matters of personal hygiene — cleanliness, and 
the rest. 

As for the religious training, it-appears to be well- 
nigh perfect, and this is principally shown in the actual 
outcome of their work, not only as may be observed 
upon examining the girls in the schools, but on inspecting 
the homes in many parts of the islands, —- homes really 
originated, set up, and fostered, one might say, by the 
standard school system and all that goes with it. Seldom 
indeed it is that a girl leaves the school; and if by chance 
some stray one is drawn away by temptation, the hap- 
pening only serves to confirm the rule and the generally 
acknowledged condition of fidelity among the girls. 
Again, the social loss to a young girl who fails to make 
her course has now become so great that the Sisters have 
little or no difficulty in maintaining a high standard of 
discipline and deportment among them. Of course, the 
road to success in these matters has been strewed with 
difficulties, and patience and untiring labor have been 
exacted of the Sisters; but the dear privilege of leading 
the young to Jesus sweeps aside all obstacles, and the bit- 
terness of early trials falls so rapidly into the past that they 
are soon forgotten in the joys of spiritual gains that are 
daily being made manifest before them. 

I have said that the Sisters have generally succeeded 
in winning the confidence and gratitude of the people. 
This has largely come about through the regular visits 
which they now make through the kampongs, visiting the 
sick, applying healing remedies, attending to slight 
wounds, making suggestions here and there for more 
practical household arrangements, setting now and then 
a difficulty to rights, and so on through a great list of 
works of charity) which are eagerly and gratefully re- 
ceived. In fact, it has now come to pass that, if by 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 239 


any chance the trips of the Sisters are delayed or inter- 
rupted for a time, anxious inquiries are soon sent in, to 
know when the Sisters may be expected again ‘on the 
rounds’. To illustrate the extent of the gratitude these 
ministrations have brought forth, let me relate a single 
incident. aia 

Not too long a time ago came the golden Jubilee of 
a Sister’s profession as a religious. In some way the mat- 
ter became known to the pupils, who at once set them- 
selves to consider how best they might give evidence, on 
this occasion, of true gratitude for what had been done 
for them. Finally they decided upon a plan of action, 
and proceeded to go out into all the countryside, privately 
informing their friends, everywhere, of the event which 
was to happen to the Sister upon a certain date. Upon 
hearing this, many different methods of showing love and 
good-will were got under way; and when the day of 
the celebration arrived, the good Sister was simply 
stormed with visitors, both young and old, rich and poor, 
all extending to: her best wishes and bestowing upon her 
some little token of affection. The young women among 
those well-to-do had taken up a collection which 
amounted to some sixty dollars, — this was really a 
prodigious sum in the eyes of most of the people, — 
and this was offered to the jubilarian, with appropriate 
manifestations of the extreme delight on the part of both 
givers and receiver. 

The Sisters’ activities reach out into many, many 
departments. But beyond and above all, the Sisters’ in- 
timate guidance and fostering care of the young girls is 
their most important service. That the Catholic girls 
of Flores and Timor are growing up into virtuous and 
unspotted womanhood is the crowning tribute to the 
missionary efforts of the Sisters, —- ‘‘whose names are 
in the book of life.’ (Phil., 4:3.) 


240 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XXVI 
A Unique School System 


Personal benefits of the conference —- Attraction of the 
school system — Its origination — The general plan — 
The missionaries’ part —- School expenses — Inspection 
— Statistics — Standard schools —- Aids and hindrances 
by the way — Chief difficulties —- Achievements — 
Unique achievements of the pupils —- Recreations (the 
dance) —— General and detailed results of the operation 
of the school system —— Direct and indirect benefits of the 
mission — Christian loyalty —- Maria Gili — A native 
clergy. 


The discussions of our mission conference, following 
as they did directly upon our visitation of the various 
mission centers of Flores, were of the utmost value, for 
they brought home to us again the real life of the mission- 
aries, with all its attending problems, trials, and con- 
quests. Particularly was I given an insight into the mar- 
velous school system which prevailed all over the mission 
field; and I was at one and the same time astounded and 
delighted to note the absolute co-ordination which the 
Fathers established between the concepts of religion, and 
the close inter-relationship maintained between religious 
and secular studies. I became convinced that the school 
system was one very characteristic feature of the whole 
mission of the Little Sunda Islands, and I proceeded 
to inquire into it as fully as possible. I learned that the 
system had been planned by the Dutch government and 
turned over to the missionaries, to be carried out under the 
supervision of government advisors and overseers. This 


jadeyD 94} 0} APM ITEYT, UO [OOYIg evUOpN ey} jo s[idng a4 











In the Yard of the Boarding-school of Ndona 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 241 


whole plan of action and relationship between govern- 
ment and mission is, so far as I know, unique in the 
annals of Catholic missionary operations, the world over. 

The whole scheme was largely brought into a state 
of actual practice through the efforts of the missionaries. 
It became at once evident that, to make the school plan 
possible at all, it would be necessary to provide many 
teachers; and to this end boarding-schools (normal-train- 
ing schools) were demanded at once. Happily, boarding- 
schools after a fashion had previously been established in 
the mission centers of Larantuka, Lela, and Lahurus 
(Timor); and the currriculum of these schools was im- 
mediately changed and standardized by the government, 
so that the training of teachers for the grammar grades 
might be begun without delay. Aside from the fact 
that a long-standing arrangement whereby certain distinct 
sections of the islands were assigned for Protestant mis- 
sionary endeavors exclusively, and certain other sections 
given over for exclusive Catholic administration, the only 
requirements made of our missionaries in the operation 
of the schools was that they should be under the direct 
supervision of the school superintendent of Macassar, and 
subject to the right of the civil officers to inspect the 
schools. In addition to this provision for inspection, the 
government appointed a missionary school inspector for 
Flores, and another for Timor, with the understanding 
that these should make it their sole business to go from 
one school to another, to see that the attendance was 
regular and that instruction was maintained at the proper 
standard. ‘These two missionaries were allowed salaries 
of $60 a month. Moreover, the mission itself employed, 
for every sub-division or section, one inspector at its own 
expense. This was done because the sub-divisions are 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 16 


242 'ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


too extensive to permit of a sufficiently thorough inspec- 
tion by one school visitor for the whole; besides, the diffi- 
culties of traveling are numerous. At the time of my 
visit, there were five such assistants, for the respective 
out-districts of Flores, Manggarai, Ngada, Endeh, Mau- 
mere, and East Flores. 

Concerning the school expenses, the government de- 
clared its willingness to erect elementary schools at its own 
expense, wherever it could be shown that the people 
actually demanded them and had a sufficient number of 
children to warrant a school establishment; it also offered 
to pay for teachers, for school inspectors, for school equip- 
ment (furniture, etc.) and supplies, and for renewals of 
supplies. On the other hand, the duty of the mission- 
aries was to furnish sufficient teachers (i. e., to establish 
training-schools for the education of native teachers, etc.) 
and to care for the entire administration of the school 
system. These regulations have been carried out, and 
today actually represent the prevailing conditions concern- 
ing the schools. 

Of ‘course, the support of the schools comes, as a 
matter of fact, from the people, since they are taxed by 
the government for this purpose. 

There were in January, 1922, 72 elementary or gram- 
mar schools on the island of Flores, and 20 on Timor (of 
course, Catholic schools only are here enumerated). But, 
remarkable to state, the number of schools on Flores was 
increased during the year 1922 by 60. This fact alone 
suggests the opportunities which the present school sys- 
tem affords to the missionaries. As has been intimated, 
it is understood that missionary work is carried on in 
direct correlation with the school work; therefore it is 
at once possible to note what a wonderful advantage for 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST. INDIES 243 


the general uplift of the people this a rnneny plan and 
aid is to the Fathers. 

The resident (local Benen tates of the government, 
with headquarters at Kupang, Timor, for the whole island 
section in which our mission is located) had at the time 
of our visit an ideal plan in mind, according to which, 
within ten years from 1923, there should be one school 
established for 1000 of the inhabitants. If this plan 
were to be carried out, the island of Flores would have 
430 schools in 1932. 

The salaries of the school cere (they are all na- 
tives) has ranged, in accordance with the original govern- 
ment regulation, from ten to thirty gulden per month. 

Besides these elementary or public schools, we have 
at present in the vicariate apostolic of the Little Sunda 
Islands five standard (boarding) schools on Flores (in 
Larantuka, Lela, Ndona, Toda-Belu, and Ruteng re- 
spectively), and one on Timor (in Halilulik). In ac- 
cordance with government regulations adopted in 1915, 
the government pays. (a) the expense of erection and 
equipment, and three quarters of the expense of upkeep 
of these standard schools, (b) also three quarters of the 
annual expenses for teachers, and finally (c) provides 
for the conveying, after ten years, of all property rights 
in these schools over entirely to the missions. 

Wonderfully helpful as the whole government plan 
of school administration in co-operation with the mis- 
sionaries is, yet its very excellencies bring. about :almost 
insurmountable difficulties for the missionaries, as they 
are situated at the present time. Only a brief considera- 
tion of the real necessities involved will serve to explain 
the nature and extent of these difficulties. 

In the first place, there are upwards of nine hundred 
pupils resident in the five standard (boarding) schools 


244 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


just mentioned. The responsibility rests upon the mis- 
sionaries to supply all that is required for living (daily 
food and the like) in these institutions; this require- 
ment alone calls for an expenditure of some twenty-four 
to twenty-seven thousand dollars, even when an allow- 
ance of only eight to ten cents a day is made. 

In the second place, it is obvious that, for every cir- 
cuit of four or five schools opened, the missionaries are 
obliged, from the Catholic point of view, to provide 
there for a complete parochial establishment — resident 
priest, church, priest’s residence, etc. What will it profit 
to give religious training to the children, and to baptize 
them, without securing for them assurances of proper 
spiritual guidance and ample provision for the frequent 
reception of the Sacraments, attendance at Mass, etc. 

For these reasons there frequently arises an extremely 
embarrassing situation. On the one hand, there is the 
opportunity to open schools; and on the other the in- 
ability to profit by it, because of lack of priests and 
missionaries, utter lack of means available for building 
purposes and the like, and often, as yet, lack of native 
teachers available for new schools demanded. Here again, 
it must be noted, is for the present a real difficulty. For 
the most part, teachers must have at least completed the 
five-years’ course which is prescribed for the standard 
(boarding) schools, and, in addition, at least the first 
two years of a normal course which is offered in our 
two-years’ course at Larantuka, Lela, and Ndona. Those 
who wish to train for higher studies and for secondary- 
school teaching are obliged to receive at least two years 
more of normal-school training at Ndona. 

Therefore, to sum up the whole outlook upon the 
school situation and its direct effect upon the civilization 
of the people, one must take into account that the people 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 245 


are in themselves, for the most part, remarkably ready 
for the school-training and for the acceptance of our holy 
religion. This vineyard of the Lord simply teems with 
ripe fruit. Again, from the one side, every possible facility 
is offered our missionaries to come into direct contact with 
the people — that is to say, all the facilities which a 
friendly and liberal government might reasonably be ex- 
pected to offer. 

On the other hand, the fact that thousands of grad- 
uates which the schools are already turning out yearly are 
able to read and are constantly anxious for new instruc- 
tive works by which to advance their education presents 
a great problem. There is a dire want of suitable reading 
matter presented in the proper form for their mental 
digestion at this period; and because our S.V.D. Press 
has not yet been inaugurated in this mission (because 
of lack of funds), contrary to the case in most of our other 
mission fields, the Mohammedans, especially through their 
famous society Sarikat Islam, are quick to see their ad- 
vantage, and they bend every effort to scatter broad- 
cast literature which is obnoxious to morals and faith, 
at one and the same time. 

And just here comes the great rub. The huge 
obstacle of obtaining means and men to establish these 
centers as truly Catholic parishes constantly stares the 
missionaries in the face, and this at the very moment 
when they positively know of the success which is bound 
to reward their efforts in every case where they are able to 
provide priests and churches for these localities. Thus, 
with the missionaries of the Little Sunda Islands, even in 
spite of the fact that they appear to be, outwardly, far 
better situated as to missionary aid than many another 
mission field, their need of funds is, from the particular 
viewpoint which we have been describing, even greater 


246 _ ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


than in other fields, simply because they have a sure harvest 
standing ripe before them, and they feel that both reason 
and religion demand that it shall be gathered during 
harvest time. 

> } ok ok 

Now I have told you what the school system actually 
is and how it operates, but I am bound to lead you 
somewhat more intimately into the actual life of the 
boys at school, with particular reference to the standard 
or boarding-schools, where the boys remain. continuously 
and where every least incident of their daily lives is bound 
up with the significance of the school. 

I think that, without the direct testimony of one who 
had been there and had seen and noted all, it would be 
extremely difficult to conceive of the possibility of train- 
ing these pagan and newly converted boys to carry out 
in detail and to perfection such a complete system of 
school administration as was being daily worked out at 
the several boys’ schools I visited. | 

In the first place, the best native teachers procurable 
are employed for these boys’ boarding-schools. In the 
school at Ndona I found six such teachers. All had passed 
through a course of nine-years’ study (the last two years 
had been spent at one of the principal colleges in the 
Netherlands East Indies —- in Menado, on Celebes) and 
had graduated with honors. Moreover, their pedagogic 
training has been excellent; they know how to prepare 
their lessons and to present them most effectively, and, 
what is the chief consideration, to secure the desired re- 
sults. Finally, they are pious men, worthy of the respect 
of all, and by the very exemplification of their lives they 
influence the boys towards noble ideals. 

With what has been said, it naturally follows that the 
discipline is excellent; yet, for all that, one certainly does 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 247 


not look for such achievements as I witnessed, and as 
others have acknowledged. At the last official visit of 
the superintendent of schools, representing the Dutch 
government, 40 students out of 54 passed the State ex- 
aminations authorizing them to teach in the public schools. 
The official unreservedly praised the standard (boarding) 
schools given into the charge of our Fathers, and highly 
commended the intellectual abilities of the boys. And 
it must here be definitely stated that, in truth, no mean 
credit attaches to the boys themselves; for, though they 
are possibly not quite so keen and quick as our lads at 
home, yet their gifts of memorizing are far superior, and 
their close application to study is also very noticeable. 
On this last score I was told that the boys had frequently 
to be driven from the schoolroom, after the noon meal, 
in order to procure for them a proper amount of physical 
relaxation after a morning’s close application to text- 
books. Exact obedience and precision in carrying out all 
that they do help to speed the progress, discipline, and 
self-control of these former free children of nature. 

But when all that has gone before has been said 
and done, I have not yet begun to tell you what these 
students actually accomplish in their school life. In order 
to make my narrative the clearer, let me call to mind, 
for a moment, the ordinary conditions under which our 
pupils at home carry on their studies. Every possible 
thing in the way of convenience is provided for them, 
before or after they enter upon each day’s work, to facili- 
tate their efforts and to allow them the maximum amount 
of time for sheer study and recitation. They never dream 
of assuming any responsibilities concerning the school 
itself —- its general upkeep, such as the cleaning of the 
rooms, halls, etc., the removal of waste paper, the filling 
of ink-wells, the erasing of blackboards, sweeping, dust- 


248 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


ing, scrubbing, and the rest. Indeed, our American boys 
and girls frequently complain bitterly because of the te- 
dious strain to which they are put merely to prepare and 
recite their prescribed lessons in a satisfactory manner. 

But with our boarding-school students on Flores and 
Timor, everything connected with the maintenance and 
general upkeep of the schools (aside from the providing 
of funds and procuring of supplies) is assumed by 
them. ‘They understand that they are not at school for 
the sake of intellectual development merely, but that they 
must learn to carry on in life, in all ways, and especially 
through direct demonstrations of systematic action, good 
order, neatness, and practical administration. Therefore, 
they are obliged to learn to help themselves in every re- 
spect. Now then, let me enumerate some of the things 
that they do: 


First, they prepare their own meals. 

Second, they set their own tables and wash and 
Wipe their own dishes. 

Third, they sweep their own schoolrooms, halls, 
etc., and mop the floors. 

Fourth, they wash, iron, and mend their own 
clothes. — ; | 


In short, they do everything to be done about the 
schools. Neither cooks nor servants nor even Sisters are 
required for them, so far as these things are concerned. 
Every one takes a bath, every day, after the chores are 
done, and everything, even the playground, is swept clean. 
Thereafter, you will see the students emerge, immaculate 
in their white suits, 

But all this by no means indicates that ‘Jack is a dull 
boy,’ or that ‘Jill is a dull girl’. They have their recrea- 
tion, to be sure, and plenty of it. They do not go in 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 249 


for modern games to any great extent, because these re- 
quire too great an outlay of money for equipment, etc.; 
but they are just as well content with their own more 
primitive forms of amusement. Their chief recreation 
consists in dancing, according to their own ancient forms 
of ring dances. They are not familiar with our old- 
fashioned ‘“‘square’’ dances, nor with the “‘round”’ dances 
of the latter half of the nineteenth century, much less 
with any of those more modern and obnoxious forms 
which are called “‘rags.’’ But let me describe to you 
somewhat just what their dances are. 

First, the mode of dress has a good deal to do with 
the form the dancing takes, and still more with its charm 
of effect. Not that, in their case, either the dress or the 
dance changes radically, but the style of the one (as is, 
most unfortunately, the case at home) inevitably deter- 
mines the type of the other. All wear the undergarment 
commonly seen elsewhere throughout the island: it is 
called the “‘kain.’’ But our students wear also the white 
“badju,’’ a thin, white, short coat. 

All gather around the prompter, or perhaps he is 
more properly called the “‘cantor,’’ for he chants a certain 
refrain, in a more or less impromptu manner, to which 
the dancers respond with appropriate gestures. If at any 
time the cantor pauses, the dancers then continue to sing 
out the last refrain given, always accompanying the words 
with the corresponding figures. 

On Sundays and holidays the boys go out for walks, 
just as our boys do at home, either to the woods or moun- 
tains or to the seashore; but I think they travel most 
frequently to the shore, for there there is always an 
opportunity for a dip in the ocean blue. 


250 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Now that you have seen what the school does for 
the boys, or, possibly, what the boys do for the school, 
I want to go on and show you how the school system as 
a whole becomes the nucleus for the widespread ramifi- 
cations which the combined education and _ religious 
program involves. For it must always be borne in mind 
that the missionaries’ work is, first and foremost, the 
saving of souls, and to this purpose they gladly employ 
every legitimate and worthy means made available. So 
let us turn to note just what the actual outcome of the 
school system is. 

First, it calls to the missionaries all the upper classes 
of the people — kings, chiefs of villages, notables, and the 
like. All these people have the Gospel message presented 
to them, and this principally through the channel of 
the boarding-schools. ‘Thus the rulers of the people 
are, first off, secured for the Faith; and they lend a mighty 
influence toward the ultimate complete Christianization of 
all the inhabitants. The sway and control of these 
local potentates is no mean affair; for although they 
are obliged to comply with the general regulations of the 
Dutch government, they in all other respects hold their 
original control over their subjects. For instance, King 
Pius, of Ndona and a number of tributary sub-divisions, 
rules over 100,000 people. He is himself an exemplary 
Christian, and is of the greatest assistance to our mis- 
sionaries in the spreading of the Faith among the natives. 
When our vicar apostolic, Msgr. Verstraelen, made his 
first visitation to the district of King Pius, after his 
appointment as first missionary bishop of the Little Sunda 
Islands, that ruler besought his Lordship, saying, ‘“Tuwan 
Uskup (Bishop), please send more missionaries to my 
kingdom; for all want to be converted, and I want to 
see all Catholics, before I die.’’ 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 251 


The king of Sikka has jurisdiction over 60,000 native 
souls, of whom 30,000 are now Catholics. 

But with the gaining of kings, and kings’ sons and 
daughters, it not only comes to pass that the country 
falls under Christian rule, but furthermore, it requires 
of the missionaries that they shall supply increased facili- 
ties for the conversion of all the people. For instance, 
there are many outlying kampongs where there are no 
schools; but obviously the spread of Christianity is needed 
there as elsewhere. Here is where the work of catechists 
comes in; and catechists are one particular and most im- 
portant product and outcome of the school system. In 
all the standard or boarding-schools there is a special 
course for catechists, quite apart from the department of 
normal training for teachers. And it will speedily be 
seen just how important and invaluable are the services 
of these catechists; for they not only teach religion in the 
outlying districts, but they hold classes in Christian 
doctrine, for grown-ups and girls, in other settlements. 
A traveling catechist will cover four or five kampongs a 
week, giving instructions and preparing the catechumens 
for the far less frequent visits of the priest. Here I will 
pause to explain that by far the greater number of our 
school pupils are boys — probably 75% of them, at 
least. It is not that there are no girls available, and it 
is certainly not that they are unwelcome in the schools; 
but the mothers are loathe to part with their assistance 
in the garden and about the house; and since school at- 
tendance is not compulsory, the missionaries must in every 
case abide by the decision of the parents. But the girls 
are no less in need of religious instruction than the boys; 
consequently here lies a special task of the catechist. 
Moreover, there are large villages in which many grown- 
ups are desirous of becoming Catholics. Here again is 


2d2 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


a special need for catechists. 

And thus one comes to see how the school system 
reaches out and at last vitally affects the very constitution 
and disposition of the families themselves. Sometimes 
the children are first secured for Christ; sometimes parents 
and children come into the Fold at once. However the 
case may be, a great change in the home is immediately 
felt. How great this change may be no one not really 
acquainted with the whole missionary situation in these 
parts can fully realize. Only the missionary can re- 
alize what it means to have a number of good Chris- 
tian families, all leading exemplary lives. But here is 
one instance where figures tell something that is truly 
significant. During the past year our priests have heard 
276,000 confessions and have distributed 905,000 Com- 
munions in this vicariate, —- proof ample of the effects 
of Christianity in the homes. Moreover, morning and 
evening prayer in the homes becomes the custom, and a 
remarkable purity of life comes to be manifested, to- 
gether with a true readiness to make sacrifices for the 
Faith. How great sacrifices are required: under certain 
circumstances, one narrative will help to indicate. 

Maria Gili was instructed and baptized by Father 
deLange. Her parents were pagans. In 1923 Maria 
was sold as a wife, to a pagan who already possessed a 
wife. However, the marriage contract was signed and 
settled by Maria’s parents, and she was ordered to obey 
their will. But she boldly told her parents that she 
was a Christian, and that, as such, she could not marry 
a pagan who already had a wife. However, this was 
no reason at all in the eyes of her parents, and she was 
simply forced to fulfill her part in the contract. Upon 
her refusal, she was tied to a post in her bedroom, and 
her proposed husband was given free access to her. She, 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 253 


however, showed such admirable wrath at this intrusion 
that, though he returned each night for several nights, 
she succeeded in controlling him with her eyes and tongue. 
At last he complained to the parents. “Then they put 
her to the torture, giving her the lash. But she succeeded 
in escaping, and made her way to the convent of the 
Sisters. Nevertheless, she was, after a time, recaptured, and 
then tortured more cruelly at first. As a final outcome, 
she was given her choice —— to accept the man or to suffer 
death. She at once chose the latter alternative. But 
shortly after this crisis, even after the death tortures had 
begun, she was suddenly, for some unknown reason, set 
free. She at once fled again to the Sisters, who treated 
her with the greatest kindness, and kept her with them 
until long after her complete restoration to bodily strength. 


* * K 


In time (and may God speed the day) a native clergy 
will put the crown on the combined work of the school 
system as it is operated by our Fathers in direct relation 
to their missionary labors. 

The most prominent and the most pious of the pupils 
who finish our day schools are sent, if they wish it, to our 
boarding-schools. This action constitutes what we may 
term the first ‘‘sorting’’ among them. After boarding- 
school, the best graduates are offered a further normal 
course of four years. During this time they are also 
taught a modern European language (i. e., Dutch), and 
throughout this whole period they are carefully scrutinized 
for their several abilities or defects. At present the Fa- 
thers have 50 students of the department. From among 
these, the most promising and the most pious are again 
selected as prospective candidates for study looking to- 
wards a native priesthood. At the present time the Fa- 


254 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


thers have eight such young men — brilliant in talents 
and noteworthy in the love of the religious life. 

I shall make an end here of our study of the schools 
on Flores and Timor. I have endeavored to show the 
principal and outstanding results of this wonderful 
educational system which is in operation in this mission 
field, and to indicate what a mighty champion of religion 
education may become when applied and appealed. to 
through proper methods. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 250 


CHAPTER XXVII 
The Trials and Triumphs of a 


Missionary Priest 


Embarrassments and humiliations consequent upon deal- 

ings with the government — The placing of responstbilt- 

ty for misstonary success — The question of assumption 

of the responsibility — Living conditions of misston- 

aries — Difficulties of travel (inaccessibility of the kam- 

pongs) — Difficulties with the dialects —- The Malay 
the official language —- The bishop’s repott. 


As has been intimated in the preceding chapter, the 
progress of the missionaries on Flores and Timor would 
upon first consideration appear to be certain and com- 
paratively easy; but immediately it was shown that the 
very advantages offered through the schools and the gen- 
eral attitude of the government demand a proportionate 
outlay of means and men which. it is, on the whole, heart- 
rendingly difficult to procure. And it is no less painful 
and humiliating for the missionary frequently to be 
forced, because of lack of funds, to refuse repeated requests 
for native catechists; and this is the more so, because the 
missionary knows that, unless he is able to meet such 
demands, the Mohammedans will not be slow in seeking 
to supply the lack after their own fashion. 

It appears, I think, convincing to all that, under such 
conditions, following as they inevitably do upon the 
direct appeal of the people for educational and religious 
advantages, there is evidently a great opening for Chris- 
tian charity to respond to the call, at once and adequately. 
As I say, all will agree that even ordinary honor and 


256 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


respect for our common Faith would demand that this 
need be met without question. But the ability to respond 
does not rest entirely upon the missionaries. Indeed, their 
cnly proper position in the matter is that of willing 
volunteers who are offered for the service and sent out 
for it by Holy Church; but Holy Church, through its 
Faithful (in donations and free-will offerings of all sorts) 
has ever esteemed it a great and blessed privilege to fur- 
nish the ways and means to the missionaries to carry out 
those things for which they are sent. Under the present 
condition of affairs, unless the body of the Faithful in 
America and Europe come to realize these necessities and 
contribute in some thoroughly efficient manner, to supply 
the financial assistance required for the opportune work 
set before the priests on the field, these laborers in Christ's 
vineyard will simply be forced to present the situation 
in a light decidedly unfavorable to the very position and 
standing of Catholic Christendom, and especially dis- 
advantageous in the eyes of Protestant and Mohamme- 
dan antagonists, as well as of the natives themselves. 
Without the slightest consideration of augmenting the 
work, it has been shown that about $28,000 is needed 
merely to feed the students in the boarding-schools. If 
the required catechists for the present work are main- 
tained, another $12,000 annually is required. Then there 
are questions of the building and upkeep of churches, of 
the support of priests, of the providing of suitable abodes 
for the workers, of the amounts needed for the adminis- 
tration of charity — medicines, clothing, etc. These 
are but a few of the expense items which must be met 
by the missionaries, through funds received almost solely 
from contributions of the faithful. And the faster the 
mission develops, the greater becomes the requirement for 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 257 


increased facilities for religious training and for the 
spiritual and pastoral care of the people. 

At this point something more should be said about 
the living accommodations provided, in many instances, 
for the missionaries. "This matter has been touched upon 
in several places in this book — for instance, recall the 
experience of the priest in Toda-Belu, who, with Brother 
Joseph, lived in a simple grass hut for over a year and a 
half. Again, there was Father Schoorlemmer of Badjawa; 
he was brought almost to the doors of death because he 
was obliged to carry on his work, month after month, 
with nothing resembling proper living conditions pro- 
vided. But these are by no means-exceptional cases. Our 
bishop in the Little Sunda Islands has simply been with- 
out the money to build priests’ houses, and the majority 
of them spend at least a large part of their lives under 
living inconveniences of the most distressing kind. 

Another feature which makes the missionary work 
especially difficult is the fact that the kampongs or ham- 
lets are so inaccessibly situated, being for the most part 
found upon hillside districts or directly upon hill-tops. 
In each of these kampongs, when one is traveling in the 
outlying districts, there are likely to be found anywhere 
from five or ten to sixty or seventy families; but fre- 
quently there are but few. In consequence, the visits of 
the missionaries consist of one unending series of ascents 
and descents, the way almost always leading through a 
veritable jungle-tangle, with deep abysses, overgrown 
trails, fallen trees, washouts, and impassable torrents to 
create problems all the time. 

Thus it comes about that the missionary lives about 
half his life on horseback. He is constantly exposed to 
the hot tropical sun, and very frequently to the mighty 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 17 


258 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


torrid storms. He ascends rocky mountains and fords 
dangerous rivers, then, if on a tour, finishes out his day’s 
labor by sleeping on the irregular bamboo floor of a shed, 
after having eaten whatever the chance of the occasion or 
the good-will of the natives may have offered him. 

Because I was especially interested, I inquired partic- 
ularly about the mission trips abroad. It seemed to me 
that my few experiences of traveling from place to place 
had shown very clearly how arduous and wearing this 
sort of thing must be, year in and year out; and so I 
asked for details. ! 

Two days before a long trip — and a “‘long”’ trip 
lasts anywhere from six days to six weeks —— provisions 
and necessities. are gathered together: bedsheets, blankets 
for the night, one khaki suit, of underwear at least three 
pair of everything, for perspiration renders it necessary 
to change often; all the articles necessary to say Mass, 
for baptism, and for the last Sacraments. Also some 
rice, potatoes, beans, and a few conserves are taken, and 
with them some kitchen utensils, plates, forks, spoons, 
etc., in case it is found impossible to buy food in the vil- 
lages. These necessary articles are packed in kerosene 
cans, well covered, so that, in the event of rain, or while 
wading the rivers, they may not be spoiled by getting 
wet. No box is heavier than forty pounds, and two 
boxes must be equally heavy, as they are loaded on each 
side of the horse. A wooden saddle is laid on the animal’s 
back, and the boxes are tied together. A boy usually leads 
the horse on the way. But on the island of Flores men 
carry the articles, and no horses are used. 

In the primeval forest the path is narrow and rugged, 
and is sometimes very steep, with here a stone, and there 
the trunk of a tree, making progress difficult. At.other 
places the branches hang so low that the horse cannot 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 259 


get through. But the guide is always. provided with a 
big knife. The dense leaves of the trees keep back the 
sun’s rays, and wild fowl and a deer or two occasionally 
enliven the journey. High above, little groups of mon- 
keys, young and old, small and large, can be seen jumping 
swiftly from branch to branch. The boys who lead the 
horses with the provisions have to be careful that the 
boxes do not crash against the stumps of trees. 

If the people know of the coming of the Fathers, 
groups of men and women, boys and girls, come to greet 
them, singing the prayers, as they call it. 

Spending the night in a Christian village is not so 
bad, a missionary assured me. A long shed is his bed- 
room. Mats are spread out. ‘The people cover the open 
wall of the building with leaves of the tuak tree, so that 
the rain during the night may not bother the Fathers. 
The bed is the floor of the shed, made of split bamboo 
laths, which are about two inches apart. These laths 
are never equally thick; they have knots, and one lath will 
be higher than the other. It is not a soft mattress, but 
a soft mattress would be too warm for this climate. The 
wanderer, tired from the fatigues of the day, soon closes 
his eyes. No millionaire on his quilts and cushions could 
enjoy a more healthful, refreshing rest than does the 
missionary on the balt-balt. In the morning there is no 
dizziness, because the missionary has slept in the open air; 
he is rested and prepared to say Mass. The sun has 
not yet risen, there is no breeze, the candles burn un- 
disturbed, and the priest may offer the Holy Sacrifice 
with devotion. The heathen onlookers do not under- 
stand the ceremony; but in places where there are Chris- 
tians, they receive holy Communion most devoutly. 

In many ways considerable difficulty arises from the 
fact of the great difference in dialect, and sometimes this 


260 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


is felt even upon going comparatively short distances, per- 
haps from one kampong to another. In Flores there are 
five distinct dialects spoken. In East Flores they speak 
Solorese; between East and Central Flores, they speak 
Sikkanese; in the Endeh district they speak Lionese. Fi- 
nally, there are the Manggarai and Ngada dialects in re- 
spective districts farther west on Flores. The Dutch, 
feeling the need of an official, administrative language, 
have chosen the Malay tongue for this purpose. At first 
sight it would seem that this dignity should rather fall 
to the Javanese language, which is spoken by more than 
twenty-four million persons, while Malay is the mother- 
tongue of some four millions only. Javanese, however, 
is far from easy; its grammar and syntax are complicated; 
it contains modes of speech which vary as one addresses 
an inferior, an equal, or a superior. “The Malay language 
owes its selection to its extreme diffusion — a result due 
to its own qualities and that of the Malay race. 

It is not only the language of the various Malay 
groups established in Malacca, Perak, and Singapore, 
and throughout the whole peninsula; it is also understood 
in Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Flores, Timor, and the Mo- 
luccas, and in all the southern portion of the Philippines; 
by millions of persons, in short, all of whom belong to 
rich countries with an extensive trade. The widespread 
use of this language, in comparison with the limited 
number of Malays, is due to the simplicity, the suppleness, 
and the harmonious pronunciation of the Malay tongue. 
It has a great facility of assimilation, so that wherever 
it has been adopted it has acquired terms borrowed from 
the dialects which it has replaced. We may discriminate 
between two kinds of Malay. One is the literary lan- 
guage, which is written in Arabic characters; a refined, 
subtle language, full of fine shades; a ceremonious, dig- 


(ayay-OMOY Je) Wey uodn ws} 
-deg jo Juameieg 24} Jo SulesU0D 24} 10}Je Ala}eIpeMM] sse[Q pur “q'A’S ‘[ezU9}g I9YyIeY 





a i a —— lh Crh 





A Catechetical Class, Made up of Old and Young, Gathered about the Base of an Old 
Waringa Tree 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 261 


nified language, as difficult to learn as any other Asiatic 
tongue. The other is the “low Malay,” “vulgar Malay,” 
or laag-maleisch, as it is known in the Indies; a language 
sufficient for those who are dealing with ordinary matters, 
enabling them to travel everywhere without an interpreter, 
and to converse intelligibly with the natives; this may 
be acquired in a few months. 
2K 2k Kk 

In closing this chapter I think it most appropriate 
to present the latest report of Bishop Verstraelen, showing 
the exact status of the Little Sunda Islands mission as 
it is at the present itme. It shows the results thus far 
obtained for sacrifices made, and reveals the foundation 
that has been laid. Upon this foundation the future 
labors in the islands must rest. 

First is given a plain statement of the number of 
baptisms during the past year. “There were 12,176 of 
them; this raises the total number of Christians in the 
entire vicariate to 78,000, Then the confessions are 
given, — 275,471, — and also the Communions, — 
905,367. The very figures plainly set forth the attitude 
of the people (the pagans) towards the Faith, and they 
also reveal the genuinely Christian spirit of the converts. 

But more than this, it is also remarkable to note 
the longing and craving of the people for spiritual hap- 
piness. [he bishop traveled a great deal during the last 
year (1924), confirming in all 8,394 Christians. Every- 
where he was received by the pagan inhabitants with 
kindness and even enthusiastic good-will, all of which 
appeared to his Lordship in the light of convincing testi- 
mony as to the desire of these people to be enrolled under 
the banner of Our Lord. 

This attitude of theirs appears in a still more favor- 


262 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


able light when a comparison is made of the records of 
the past five years. 


In 1920 there were 7,908 baptisms. 
In 1921 there were 7,299 baptisms. 
In 1922 there were 6,046 baptisms. 
In 1923 there were 7,308 baptisms. 
In 1924 there were 12,176 baptisms. 


Whence the surprising increase of almost 5,000 bap- 
tisms for this year over any of the foregoing years? There 
were very noteworthy reasons for the sudden gain, among 
which must be reckoned particularly the attitude of the 
pagans toward the Faith, as was mentioned above, then 
the untiring zeal of our missionary band, and last but not 
least, the generous assistance of kind benefactors. 

But the baptismal records of these last five years 
also tell a remarkable story. You will observe the de- 
plorable decrease from 1920 to 1922. Why this? Be- 
cause the missionaries were sadly crippled in their labors. 
Of necessity neglected by former friends in Europe, who 
suffered from the shocking consequences of the war, means 
were scarcely found to secure the bare living expenses 
of the mission, and it became absolutely necessary to 
dismiss most of the catechists. “The debts of the mission 
grew alarmingly, and apparently, unavoidable disaster 
threatened our mission. 

But in this utmost distress God showed Himself a 
providential Father, and much help began to reach the 
mission from friends secured in the United States; how- 
ever, the work for 1922 was sadly depleted. 

Moreover, embarrassing conditions generally predomi- 
nated in the mission, far into the middle of 1923. For 
all that, an increase of almost 1,300 baptisms is to be 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 263 


noticed. This was, however, but a- beginning of new 
achievements. 

As soon as the natives perceived that catechists were 
available once more, they flocked to the missionaries and 
petitioned them for instructors for various local districts 
in the islands; therefore the bishop permitted the Fathers 
to employ more catechists. How astonishing has been 
the result! “Twelve thousand, one hundred and seventy- 
six pagans have entered into the harbor of truth during 
the past twelve months! Among them are not fewer than 
4,529 adults, —- men and women — and here is un- 
doubtedly the most magnificent feature of this marvelous 
hastening towards the Faith. Indeed, the missionaries 
almost experienced a stampede; but the pity of it was, 
that they could not fully avail themselves of this excep- 
tional opportunity to lead a whole army of 500,000 
people into the fold of Christ. Now the harvest is ripe, 
now the people are well disposed; now the opportunity 
is favorable: but it has been found impossible to comply 
with the wishes of the hundreds of thousands of natives; 
and this is the more deplorable, because the Mohamme- 
dan missionaries are always about and always on the alert. 
As soon as they ascertain that natives who have applied 
for a catechist have been turned away with a reluctant 
refusal (because of the missionaries’ lack of funds), they 
approach them and gladly offer their teachers. Thus 
many souls have been lost through Mohammedan inter- 
position. 

While the mission now supports one hundred and 
sixty-five catechists, that many more are absolutely needed 
to furnish instruction to all that want to be instructed. 
Just remember that 12,560 adults at present attend the 
instructions, but that thirty times as many are yet eagerly 
waiting for religious teaching. Just remember that 


264 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


21,323 children follow the catechetical classes, but that 
ten times as many do not yet enjoy this favor, all because 
there are not sufficient funds to support more catechists. 

Reference was made in the beginning to the great 
number of confessions and holy Communions received, 
as ample proofs of the genuine Catholicity of the Chris- 
tians. In truth it is most consoling to learn of the piety 
of the new converts — their faithful attendance at Sunday 
Mass, frequent reception of the Sacraments, morning and 
evening prayers at home; remarkable purity of life, and 
the spirit of making sacrifices for the Faith. These are the 
external evidences which indicate that the Faith has totally 
permeated them. 

* * * 

If one really reads between the lines, nothing speaks 
more eloquently of the trials and triumphs of the mission- 
ary’s report. Here all the longings, all the disappoint- 
ments, all the patient, hopeful waiting, all the good things, 
come about and to come, are laid bare for him who would 
take heed. The very poignancy of the distresses and the 
glory of the successes really show, as nothing else in the 
world can show, that the bearing of the message of Christ 
abroad constantly inspires the missionaries to ever greater 
effort and sacrifices. And in realizing the working of this 
leaven among them, one is bound, I think, to accord them 
no sparing measure of sympathy and commendation. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 265 


CHAPTER XXVIII 
Away to the Island of Timor 


The qutetude of retreat —- Glad tidings —- Somewhat 

about Msgr. Verstraelen — We set out for Timor on the 

Gemma — On the way — The dolphins — The landing 

at Atapupu — Halilulik — Seko Gobo — Father Kerk- 

hoff from Tubakki — A holiday — Certain characteris- 
fics ‘ORI im0rk 


Following upon the mission conference, the retreat 
opened Friday evening. 

In the midst of the retreat, on Monday, at dinner time, 
came a half-hour of interruption which became a real oc- 
casion of rejoicing. Father General announced that a 
cablegram had been received from the Mother House at 
Steyl, carrying the news that the Holy See had raised this 
vigorous and growing mission of the Little Sunda Islands 
to the status of a vicariate apostolic, and that Father 
Arnold Verstraelen, S.V.D., the present superior of the 
mission of Timor, had been appointed the first vicar 
apostolic, succeeding the late prefect apostolic, Msgr. 
Noyen, S.V.D., who had died in Holland, on February 
24, 1921. 

Prior to his coming to the Netherlands East Indies, 
Msgr. Verstraelen had been a missionary in Togo, Af- 
rica for six years, and at this time of his elevation to the 
bishopric he had already labored nine years on the island 
of Timor. The news brought general satisfaction and 
comfort, and congratulations were at once showered upon 
the new bishop-elect. Then all returned quietly and 
thankfully to continue the exercises of the retreat. This 


266 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


period of grace was a boon to the missionaries, not only 
because of the fact that their own superior general was. 
with them as retreat master, but because they had not 
been privileged to meet for a retreat, for the past several 
years.’ 

The formal closing of the retreat and the renewal 
of vows took place on Thursday night; and on Friday 
morning, after our Masses, silence was broken, and many 
were the plans mapped out for the future. Immediately 
afterward, Father General and I, with Bishop-elect Ver- 
straelen, after receiving a little farewell celebration and 
the farewell cheers of our confréres and the natives present, 
went down in buggies to the Endeh harbor. It was. 
proposed that we should go to the island of Timor to 
continue our visitation of our Vicariate of the Little Sunda 
Islands. We were to make the trip from Flores to Timor 
on the Gemma or as the Dutch and natives call it, the 
‘“‘white’’ boat, because of its color.* It is a government 
steamer of about one thousand tons, with a crew of 
thirty-five natives and four white officers. We were in- 


1 It may be of interest to some to have here an account of the 
consecration of Bishop Verstraelen. Naturally, he desired to re- 
turn to his home country (Holland) for the ceremonies, in order to 
be among relatives and friends of his native diocese. He arrived at 
the Mother House at Steyl in August, 1922, and after some weeks of 
travel abroad among his people, completed arrangements by which 
his consecration was to take place on October 1. Bishop Schrijnen 
of Roermond, the ordinary of the home diocese and of the Steyl 
mission house, performed the consecration; and Bishop Diepen of 
*s Hertogenbosch in Uden (where a new college and novitiate of 
the Society of the Divine Word is situated) and Bishop Hopmans 
of Breda (in which diocese our Society has recently erected a new 
seminary of philosophy and theology) assisted. 


2 The regular line of steamships of the Koninklijke Pakketvaart 
Maatschappij (K.P.M.) are all black in color, while the govern- 
ment boats are painted white. Therefore the islanders conveniently 
distinguish between the two by simply speaking of the “white” boat 
or the “black” boat, as the case may happen to require. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 267 


formed that the boat had cost a million gulden 
($400,000) and that it costs nine hundred gulden 
($360) a day to keep up the service and running condi- 
tion of the steamer. The boat had arrived in Endeh har- 
bor the preceding night. All missionaries may take this 
white boat to any point of the islands, and are required 
to pay only a nominal sum for meals and bed, and for 
the trip. Certainly the government is very courteous to 
our Fathers in this part of the world. As we arrived in 
the harbor we were taken over to the Gemma in small 
boats, and we found, when we reached it, that the 
officials were present, as a school conference was about 
to take place on shipboard. Father deLange and Frater 
Buis attended this conference, together with the govern- 
ment officials already present. ‘here is a real danger to 
the entire group of islands in their ever-growing Moham- 
medanism, and the danger is not alone to Christianity, 
but to government control as well. 

Our steamer moved eastward around the volcano of 
Endeh, and then along the entire southern coast of Flores 
from Endeh eastward, first proceeding to the island of 
Alor, port of Kalabahi. There was with us on board a 
certain Dr. Rodenwald, a German physician who had 
been formerly a physician in Togo and who consequently 
was familiar with the work of our Society and personally 
acquainted with not a few of our Fathers. He was to 
leave us at Kalabahi, where he had been sent by order of 
the Dutch government, to examine malarial conditions 
there and to study the situation in order that proper 
measures might be taken to suppress a plague which was 
spreading with alarming rapidity on some of the islands 
of the Netherlands East Indies. Early in the morning 
on Saturday we passed by the island of Pantar and thence 
proceeded straight for Alor. As we approached, we had 


268 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


what was to me a wonderful experience. There were 
a hundred or more dolphins in the water, ahead of us, 
and at least as many on either side of our boat, all swim- 
ming in the same direction as we were traveling, and all 
apparently endeavoring to make equal speed with us. It 
created the impression that these fish were actually pull- 
ing the steamer. The sight was so much the more beau- 
tiul because the water was fine and the bright sunshine 
shone directly upon their glistening, oval backs. It 
seemed as though they gloried in sporting in the sun’s 
rays. 

At ten o'clock we anchored off Kalabahi (Alor), 
leaving at two in the afternoon for Atapupu, our port 
of destination on Timor. As we neared the end of our 
short sea trip, the genial captain of the Gemma carefully 
explained to us the invariable course which a steam- 
ship was required to take when approaching the port of 
Atapupu from afar. ‘The town itself is completely sur- 
rounded by high mountains, and in the far distance one 
can discern a steep cliff that appears to be cut off directly 
from two huge rocks which rise out of the sea. The 
course of a vessel must be turned in the direction of the 
cliff, if the hidden and treacherous rocks that lurk all 
about the entrance of the harbor are to be avoided. 

It was late when we disembarked from the Gemma 
and for the first time set foot on the island of Timor.’ 
In the company of Catholic natives who hailed from 


3 The word Timor means East; and I may mention here also the 
explanation of the word Flores. Flores is called Tandjong Bunga 
in the Malay language — which is the name of a cape on the eastern 
part of Flores, meaning Cape Flower. The Portuguese who arrived 
at Tandjong Bunga on Flores, for the first time, found that it was 
covered with a rich vegetation and flowers, and so called the whole 
island Flores. 


Joury ‘ndndejy jo 10qieH 94 








Ai Lolok, King of Middle Timor, and Family. At the time of our visit the king was receiv- 
ing catechetical instruction. He and his household are now Christians. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 269 


everywhere thereabouts, along the shore from Atapupu, 
we walked to our mission station. 

It is a good thing that the mission station has been 
established inland, for Atapupu is a sweat box and a 
veritable mosquito nest: The government officials do not 
live at Atapupu, but in Atambua, which is about a thou- 
sand feet higher up in the mountains, twelve miles to 
the south, and very beautiful. We found that most of 
the Atapupu residents were Chinese, and each had his 
little toko, doing business which extended as far as Atam- 
bua. Our mission station was beautifully situated and 
very quiet and homelike. 

On April 2, Passion Sunday, we went to our second 
station, Halilulik, via Atambua. As Atambua is twelve 
miles from Atapupu, so, in turn, Halilulik lies some fif- 
teen miles farther, which meant twenty-seven miles on 
horseback. The scenery is picturesque and romantic; hid- 
den dells, with greenery of delicate shades; sturdy trees; 
thick undergrowth; beautiful flowers and rich ferns. We 
stopped at the house of a Mr. Mueller, who is a Catholic 
and a Dutch captain; we regretted that he was not at 
home, but his good wife had sent a messenger to us, 
requesting us to stop in order to rest a little and have 
dinner before proceeding farther south. We were glad 
to avail ourselves of this hospitality, and a pleasant sur- 
prise came to me in the shape of meeting with Father 
Henry Lewen, a former classmate of mine, who had just 
arrived at Mrs. Mueller’s from his mission station Hali- 
lulik. Our joy was mutual, for we had not seen each other 
for eleven years. Father Lewen had been sent to Togo 
in Africa first, and was then transferred here. 


270 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


We enjoyed a good bath and a rest, and then after 
a short while the children of the ‘“‘Desa’’* school, with the 
guru, or teacher, soon appeared to offer Father General 
a welcome, with several songs and a war-dance by six 
boys. The physician of the town and the lieutenant — 
both fine men -—— were present, also. 

At 2.45 p.m., we were off again for the second part 
of our trip to Halilulik and found conditions very simi- 
lar to those we had encountered previously. We now 
discovered ourselves in a lonesome, swampy, forest-like 
district, and had to cross a number of rivers, the water 
reaching to the horse’s breast in several places, while the 
whole stretches were so muddy that the poor animals 
could hardly plough through. Besides, we had to make 
our way through several sections grown thick with high 
“‘alang-alang’’ grass. It was after seven, and darkness had 
set in when at length we arrived at Halilulik, our central 
mission station of Timor. From afar the one hundred 
and eighty boys of the boarding-school, having been 
notified of our coming by Father Lewen who had gone 
ahead, gave vent to their joy by shouting, whistling, 
yelling, etc. “Ihe Catholics here were more than delighted 
with Father Verstraelen’s appointment, especially since he 
had been superior of the whole mission district in Timor. 
About an hour later Brother Sales came in from Tubakki, 
another mission station, as far south as Atapupu is north 
of Halilulik. This Brother is a real giant, and the natives 
and children enjoy many little jokes over his “‘bigness.”’ 
I, for one, pitied the poor little horse that had to carry him. 

April 3 and 4 —- Monday and Tuesday — were spent 
in inspection of the station. The buildings were very 
practical and real models for tropical countries. Although 


* “Desa” is the Javanese word for kampong, i.e., village. Hence 
here it indicates public or “grammar” school. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 271 


Msgr. Noyen visited the radja of this place in 1913 it 
was not until 1918 that Brother Lucian arrived and be- 
gan to cut the first logs for a home for the missionaries. 
Cement had to be hauled from Atapupu, and, as we had 
seen, there were no roads for wagons. Everything was 
carried on horseback, and each horse bore a piccol —- one 
hundred and twenty-five pounds. All the work was done 
by Brother Lucian, who, with Father Lewen, managed the 
whole station of Halilulik. The excellent sluices, etc., 
by which the distribution of the rich mountainous water 
is regulated throughout the mission compound, is due to 
the skill and efforts of Brother Willibrord (now in Flores) . 
A large school has been erected, also a dining- and play- 
hall, with a kitchen and storehouse for the boarders. Half 
the play-hall serves as a chapel, and on Sundays the doors 
are opened, so that the entire hall is filled. A large 
dormitory has been erected, each child having his own 
place and sleeping mat, which he rolls up in the morning. 
This station is comparatively new, and in addition to the 
dormitory for boys, the missionaries hope soon to build 
a boarding-school for girls close by. 


Halilulik is. the mission station that boasted, not so 
very long ago, of a ‘‘miracle worker’? —- Seko Gobo, by 
name. Seko Gobo was a Timorite, who by a series 
of mental gymnastics, arrived at the notion that it would 
be extremely pleasant to be a god with power to raise 
the dead to life. A few such miracles, he concluded, would 
bring him no end of respect and advantages, and would, 
incidentally, serve as an easy method to stock up on rice, 
food, clothing, money, trinkets,) and what not. The 
plan no sooner entered his head than he started a 
rumor afoot, extolling the magnitude of his powers. The 
fame of the ‘miracle worker of Halilulik’’ was shortly 


272 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


noised among the credulous natives. Losing no time in 
making inquiries, they dug up their deceased relatives and 
carried them to the all-powerful “‘god.”’ 

The missionary, Father Matthias Berschbach, also 
heard this wondrous news, and decided to investigate. 
When he arrived on the scene he noticed that about fif- 
teen skeletons were laid out, awaiting the resurrection, 
and more were expected hourly. Being human and curious, 
he joined the crowd that surged into the god’s hut, and 
there a wonderful scene greeted his eyes. Numerous 
relatives and friends, amid noisy disputes, wild gestures, 
and verbal combats, were on hands and knees, arranging 
the bones in the natural order, so as to have each bone 
in its proper place; lest, after ‘resurrection, some un- 
fortunate would have to limp around on a pair of uneven 
legs, or be afflicted with some similar calamity. Finally, 
after much haggling over a few stray bones, all seemed 
to be set to their satisfaction. “Then they shuffled out, 
to leave the wonderworker alone. 

The god then hastily rolled up his shirt-sleeves and 
began to work furiously, greasing and smearing the bones 
with clay, red paint, and cajuputti oil. Mopping the 
sweat from his brow, Seko dashed out and excitedly 
shouted: ‘“The bones revive! The bones revive!”’ 

The people, fearing to cross the threshold of his 
‘““workshop,’’ peered at the bone pile through the open 
door. Sure enough, the bones had already taken on a 
brightened color, and the fresh odor of the cajuputti oil 
added not a little to the conviction that their eyes did not 
play them false. The faith in the new god rose high, and 
every one was on edge with expectation. Seko’s wild 
promises worked them into a veritable frenzy. The 
psychological moment for Seko had arrived. Quick to seize 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 273 


it, he demanded sacrifice, gifts, homage, as became any 


decent god. Beit 
“Good people,’’ he said, ‘‘you long to see your loved 
ones. Ah, yes, I can raise them — I’ve done it a thou- 


sand times; and now yonder bones only wait a final 
word from me, and they will spring into life. But will 
a god help you if you do not first bring gifts? Does not 
sacrifice become a god? Do you expect evrything and 
wish to give nothing? Hie yourselves off, then, and fetch 
gifts worthy of a god and of one who. has power over 
life and death.” 

In their excitement the people trampled over one 
another in their mad desire to be first with their gifts. 
Some brought rice; others, corn; still others, palm wine, 
money, trinkets, blankets, whatever they could lay their 
hands on. Though they were in feverish haste, Seko 
calmly sat in the shade, smoked his pipe, and watched the 
gifts pile up. While he smoked, he dreamed. His dreams 
were, however, rudely disturbed by his devotees with their 
shouts, queries, and demands. Evidently their faith was 
greater than their patience, though to all demands and 
expostulations he had but one answer: ‘‘Not yet.” 

But the hour was so tardy that one old chap in the 
name of the rest gave the god a piece of his mind. Anoth- 
er, convinced of the humbug, made up his mind to beat 
a retreat. Seko was, however, equal to the occasion, and, 
casting promises to the winds, he began to threaten his 
clients. Placing his pipe behind his ear, he leaped up and 
shouted: 

‘Let any dare to desert this place! Let him do so, 
I say, and he will rue the day! Before he reaches his 
hut my revenge will descend on his luckless head and will 
strike the life out of his worthless body. Go if you dare!”’ 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 18 


274 - ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Seko won the day, and the mob cowed at his feet, 
preferring to stay and take a chance at starvation rather 
than call the god’s mighty wrath on their heads. A few 
days elapsed in this way, and, though the bones had not 
changed, the people clung to the spot, some in fear, some 
in disgust, and others with the expectation that they would 
really see their deceased relatives come to life and would 
learn the secret of that mysterious region beyond the grave. 

But the same rumor that had brought Seko such a 
thriving trade now brought him disaster. The govern- 
ment officials, ever on the lookout for such incipient rebel- 
lions, hearing of the “‘great deeds,’’ sent a troop of soldiers 
to investigate. On the very day on which Seko had 
faithfully promised to do the miracle, the soldiers ap- 
peared on the scene, and penetrated the god’s palace be- 
fore he could effect an escape through the back window. 
In the twinkling of an eye Seko was captured. His hands 
were bound behind his back and, with a rope around his 
neck, he began his march to headquarters. Seko was put 
in jail. 

The people, recovering from their astonishment, made 
a scramble for the bones, and went back to their homes. 
These incidents are strange and preposterous, but the 
story is true and goes to indicate the low standard of 
civilization that still obtains on these realms of heathen- 
dom. . The one and only remedy for such ignorance and 
superstition is the sane and sober doctrines of Christ. 


On Monday afternoon Father Kerkhoff came over 
from Tubakki. This missionary priest had been, for 
fourteen years after his ordination, working in the dense 
primeval forests of Brazil, South America. As he was 
a Hollander, he was transferred here. Tubakki.was the 
only one of our Timor stations we did not visit, and that 


IOWIY JO UOl}e}S [eI}UED 2Y} “HIN[TeH Jo punodwog uorssi{ oy 





Catechist Engaged in His Daily Task 


— Expounding the Essentials of Christian Doctrine to 
the Natives 


| 





IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 275 


is why Brother Sales and Father Kerkhoff came to us 
instead. ‘Tuesday was a free day for all the boys, and 
a great feast was given the Catholic natives around the 
station in honor of Father General. A big carabao (wa- 
ter buffalo) yielded up his life for the occasion, and the 
meat was prepared and distributed, so that everybody 
got a piece. Then there was a dance by women and girls, 
each holding a sort of drum under one arm as she danced. 
The whole crowd was led by two men dressed as warriors 
who constantly waved swords. This was a peculiar dance, 
and one we had not yet seen. 

Our Timor mission field has a few odd characteristics. 
The eastern portion of Dutch Timor — that is, the Belu, 
and the north central Timor districts, were given to us 
by the government tor pastoral care and mission work. 
The rest is in the hands of the Protestants. Two lan- 
guages are spoken in our districts — the Tettum language 
in Belu, and the Davan language in north central Timor. 
Altogether, we have 80,000 people under our care — or 
about one fourth of the whole Dutch Timor population. 
Up to this time we had been working in the Belu district, 
with four stations: Atapupu, Halilulik, Tubakki and 
Lahurus. In north central Timor no resident priest has 
yet been stationed owing to lack of personnel. 


276 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


CHAPTER XXIX 


The End of Our Mission Trail in Timor, 
and — Adieu 


Our last mission station — A slippery road — The 
clouds open — A scorpion bite — A mixup of boats and 
a real adventure — We reach Larantuka — A last farewell 
— Something about the Celebes —- Macassar and tts ex- 
ports — Predominence of Mohammedanism — The eight 
priests of the district —- Waiting for a boat to Sydney, 
Australia —- Reminiscences of Blessed Spinola, a misston- 
ary of olden days. 


After Mass on April 5, and at quarter after six in the 
morning, we were off, via Atambua, to our last mission 
station in Timor — Lahurus — which is about six 
hundred meters high, the most beautiful and the most 
healthful place in all the Timor district. This is the 
mission which, as we said elsewhere, Father Mathijssen, 
S.J., founded. At ten o'clock we again made a stop at 
“Frau Mueller’s,’’ where coffee and biscuits awaited us. 
Then we mounted our horses, with eighteen miles to 
travel on a very hot day, in an open country, devoid of 
wood or forest. [he road to Halilulik had been bad, 
but we found certain stretches here far worse. At one 
o'clock we rested and ate our luncheon under the shade 
of a tree. Our horses, too, were tired and needed rest 
and food as much as we did. We found the change a 
welcome one and were thoroughly enjoying it when Fa- 
ther Schmitz arrived. He had come from Lahurus, to 
greet us and show us the road; so we mounted and set 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 277 


off again, coming nearer and nearer to the high mountain 
Lakan, at the foot of which Lahurus is situated. As we 
passed over an elevation along the road we had to cross 
a mountain slope which was not quite solid. The hind 
feet of the horse on which Father General was riding 
sank into the earth, and it trembled and shivered so that 
we were quite alarmed, until we managed to get the animal 
up on firmer ground, and decided that it would be better 
to make the stretch on foot. Fora time we had Portuguese 
Timor before us, on the other side of the river. Then, 
farther along, we were obliged to cross the river, proceed- 
ing through a narrow wedge, as it were, of country that 
formed a part of Dutch Timor. Near the point of this 
wedge, after a weary journey over rocky slopes and across 
two tumbling rivers, we reached Lahurus. We were con- 
gratulating ourselves, that we were safe so far, when a 
dark cloud that had been forming about the summit of 
the Lakan moved over us, and opened, letting down a 
torrential rain that soon drenched us to the very skin. 
The road was bad enough until the rain began — at 
first but a few drops, then a heavy downpour. When 
the land rises, streams of water rush down the narrow 
road, so that one seems to be walking in a brook; when 
the path descends every step counts, for the slightest error 
will send one flat on one’s back. Our clothes were drip- 
ping water, our shoes were soaked with it — and the 
best we could do was to make an act of resignation. 
Slowly we reached the station, our poor horses with 
heads hanging low as if the rain had robbed them of all 
courage. We did not see Lahurus until we stood in front 
of it, because it is right behind the mountain range — and 
we came upon it so suddenly that we were astonished. 

A change of clothing being necessary, Father Bersch- 
bach generously lent me his cassock; but a scorpion that 


278 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


had taken up its abode therein objected to my use of it 
and stung me severely. The pain was so intense that for 
the two or three hours that followed I wanted to give 
a little native dance of my own, and I did not cease 
to feel the effects for the next three days. We went to 
church to thank God for His kind protection during the 
trip, then we greeted our dear fellow missionaries — Fa- 
thers Berschbach, Schmitz, and Brother Calixtus — also 
the four Sisters, Servants of the Holy Ghost, who were 
working here. Brother Calixtus had been six years in 
Togo, nine years in New Guinea, and nine years in Timor. 
He was, in truth, the first of all our Brothers who landed 
in the Little Sunda Islands after we had taken over the 
mission field. We inspected Lahurus all day. “The most 
significant thing here is the magnificent water supply. 
Right in the center of the mission compound is a big old 
tree, and under it a rich fountain, a babbling spring coming 
up in four abundant jets which send the water gushing 
down the mountain. ‘The Fathers have harvested it to 
meet every possible water need of the compound. ‘There 
are smaller springs.close by. All here speak the Tettum 
language. The Sisters have started a boarding-school, 
which promises big things for the future; there are twenty- 
two girls. 

Friday, April 7, was set for our return to Atapupu, 
in order to catch the “‘black’’ boat, the Van Outhorn, 
which was to take us, via the islands east of Flores, to 
Larantuka and the other ports west of it, thence up to 
the city of Macassar on the island of Celebes. From 
Celebes we were to take a larger steamer of the K.P.M. 
down to Sydney, and thence we would again go up to 
New Guinea, our next goal. 

We had made this plan, but the affair developed into 
a real adventure. The captain of the ‘‘white’’ boat, the 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 279 


Gemma, telephoned to us from Kupang, the Dutch seat 
of government on Timor, that the Gemma also would be 
ut Atapupu on the day following (Saturday the 8), and 
that this ‘“‘white’’ boat would carry us‘directly to Laran- 
tuka, without making the semi-circular sweep of the small- 
er islands. We decided to avail ourselves of this oppor- 
tunity, because the shorter trip would probably give us a 
chance to stop over in Larantuka another two full days 
before our final departure; moreover, the shorter trip 
would also save us about thirty dollars in passage money. 

Behold us, then, quite content over: this slight change 
of our program. But at this juncture the tables were 
turned on us, for both boats suddenly changed their 
schedules. We were notified that the “‘black’’ boat was 
to arrive at Atapupu on Friday instead of Saturday, and 
that the “‘white’’ boat would not, after. its arrival on 
Saturday, steam directly to Larantuka, but would make 
several of the eastern islands first. “Thus it became evident 
to us that, if we were to wait and take the “‘white’’ 
boat, we could hardly expect to reach Macassar in time 
to make the steamer upon which we Piavesca to embark 
for Sydney, N.S. W. 

We got up at 3.30 a.m. on Friday, said Mass, and 
at 5.30 were on horseback, with the hopes of catching 
the “‘black’’ boat at Atapupu. Bishop Verstraelen, Father 
General, Father Bersbach, and I set out as day was 
dawning beyond the mountain tops ——- Father Berschbach 
was to remain at Atapupu for Holy Week. We went 
back as we had come two days before, over the same 
rivers, across the same dangerous mountain slope, where all 
were again forced to dismount. A native boy took both 
horses here, and Father General and I went down together 
along that muddy, slippery path, rendered doubly dan- 
gerous because of the rain. God protected us. We got 


280 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


through even the last river on horseback —- one which is 
famous for its many crocodiles, and the scene of many a 
tragedy, for children have been caught here time and again 
by these ugly ‘‘muggers.’’ 

- When we arrived at the main road to Atambua, we 
switched off into a short cut toward Atapupu. At about 
9 o'clock we were met by the “‘assistant resident’’ of 
Atambua. He told us that he had arrived on the “‘black’’ 
boat —- and added that if we wanted to make it we must 
hurry, as it was to leave again at 10 a.m. sharp. Hurry! 
How we rushed down those mountain cliffs, striving anx- 
iously to reach the harbor. In vain! When we arrived 
at 10.30 a.m. in Atapupu we were told that the boat had 
left an hour before —- and as we stood on the shore we 
could see it in the far distance, puffing eastward toward 
Dilly in Portuguese Timor. We had made the twenty- 
four miles from Lahurus to Atapupu in five hours — 
but our haste had availed us nothing. 

We were now in real distress. Bishop Verstraelen, 
however, telegraphed, as a last hope, to the resident in 
Kupang, explaining our situation, and asking him that 
when the “‘white’’ boat, as now announced, came on 
Sunday, would he kindly direct a change of route that 
would take us to Larantuka first, so that we might con- 
nect with the “‘black’’ boat there for Macassar; unless 
this were granted, we should be delayed for a whole 
month. We awaited an answer to this request all day 
Saturday, not knowing how it would turn out. — — 

Sunday, April 9, was a real Palm Sunday. Father 
Berschbach officiated and a crowd of about three hundred 
Christians were present, taking part in the procession, 
all carrying freshly-cut palm leaves. After Mass a message 
came from the telephone office, announcing that the Gem- 
ma would arrive at 3 p.m. This gave us some glimmer 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 281 


of hope, but we had as yet no knowledge of whether the 
resident had yielded to our petition and given orders to 
the captain to take us straight to. Larantuka. At eleven 
o'clock two breathless boys came running into the station 
with word that the ‘“‘white’’ steamer was coming — that 
it was almost in the harbor. Hoping against hope, we 
hurriedly finished our dinner and went down toward the 
landing-place —— and here some government officers told 
us that the Gemma would leave in two hours and go 
straight to Larantuka. What a relief after the suspense 
of the last three days! Deo Gratias! 

We left on the Gemma at half past two bictocls 
and the trip on the open sea was most pleasant. It was 
very quiet, and at night the moon and stars spread a 
brilliant pageant before our eyes. Among the passengers 
was the Dominee of Kupang — the Protestant minister 
here is called Dominee, as in Holland. He was going to 
the island of Alor, and so were the other government 
passengers, but instead of taking these directly to their 
destination, the government officers had kindly acceded 
to our petition and we were to touch first at Larantuka. 

As the boat carried us onward we saw the islands 
of Alor and Pantar in the distance. At ten o’clock we were 
along the southern coast of Lomblem; then we turned 
north into the strait between Lomblem and Adonara. 
The next morning, very early, about ten minutes to three 
o clock, we were before Larantuka, the moon and stars 
still keeping faithful watch and the big Ilimandiri sur- 
rounded by a halo of mist and clouds, its top hidden in 
a clinging gray mantle. We arrived three hours ahead of 
the time because of the current —- swinging into it, the 
captain said, just at the right moment. 

At four o'clock the roosters of Larantuka roused all 
from their morning dreams. At half past four and at 


282 - ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


five the tolling of bells from the Sisters’ convent and the 
mission church again rang out over the waters, adding to 
the solemnity of the hour, and to our devotion, as we 
were on deck making our morning meditation. 

At half past five the motor-boat of the Gemma was 
let down, and took us ashore, and certainly all in the 
mission compound were surprised when we put in an ap- 
pearance ready to say Mass. ‘They had expected us to 
come later on the “‘black’’ boat, which came into the 
same harbor three hours later. We were more than 
fortunate, after missing it, to be here at all. 

The last hours we spent with our Fathers at Laran- 
tuka were most precious to us. We discussed many things 
that had happened, and much more that we hoped would 
happen. God only knew how and under what conditions 
we should meet again. When, at half past two in the 
afternoon, we set out in the Van Outhorn, westward for 
Maumere, I felt melancholy — Flores was a familiar spot 
by now, and it was quite likely that I should never see 
it again. 

On Tuesday at midnight we anchored in Maumere 
and remained on the boat until six o’clock when we went 
ashore to say Mass. We met Fathers van Cleef, Dorn, 
and Terheyden; and presently Fathers Fries, Grootmann, 
and Mertens came from the Maumere district to bid us a 
last farewell. With the six Fathers and Brothers Theo- 
phorus and Bernard we spent a pleasant day until four 
o'clock, when we had to board the steamer again for our 
next stopping-place, Reo, which is the harbor for our 
Manggarai station of Ruteng. Father Dorn joined us, 
since he was bound for Ruteng as the next superior to 
replace Father Glanemann, who had been sent to Ndona. 

On Wednesday, April 12, we three said Mass in the 
cabin and had just finished when we arrived before Reo 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 283 


at six o'clock. More of our confréres awaited us, —- Fa- 
ther Janssen and Brother Francis had come down from 
Ruteng to the steamer, ——- the only two whom Father 
General had not yet seen; so they availed themselves of 
this chance to have a chat with him about their missions. 

In Ruteng our Father Glanemann had only recently 
opened a new station, in which Mohammedanism is very 
strong, while the greater part of the inhabitants remain 
in the state of their native paganism. 

It was Father Glanemann himself who had previously 
described to us the weird living arrangements in Ruteng 
and it seems well to insert his account at this point, in 
my Narrative. 

The kampongs in and about Ruteng consist of three 
or four great shed-like houses, and each building holds 
from one hundred and fifty to two hundred beings. One 
building, about one hundred and twenty-five feet long, 
contains some thirty separate families; each family is pro- 
vided with its own fireplace for the preparation of meals, 
there is not even a single chimney for the entire thirty 
hearthsides! Nor is there a window or door! The roof 
slopes almost to the ground, and a hole is made in 1t, 
at some point or other. Down this hole every individual 
going to make up the entire thirty families (the hole is 
only big enough for one at a time) must go whenever he 
or she seeks ‘“‘home and mother,”’ or dinner, or whatever 
else may be required. Of course the same performance 
(only I should imagine it would be more difficult in this 
instance) must be gone through whenever anybody wishes 
to gain the fresh air. I think you will find your imagina- 
tive faculties in good trim, as were ours at Father Glane- 
mann’s recital, when you stop to consider the smoke, the 
odors, the heat, and the noise! The nights are cold, the 
water likewise: consequently the natives do not favor 


284 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


bathing. But they proceed to even further extremes in 
their search for comfort. They rub mud into their 
clothes. This mud when dried, according to their testi- 
mony, prevents the cold winds from penetrating to their 
bodies. 

We enjoyed the joke, too, when Father Glanemann 
told us that he is well known in the surrounding villages 
and finds himself greeted on all sides, particularly by the 
children, with the beautiful name Ema tuwa, “‘Grandpa!”’ 
Should one or other of the children be shy, and hide be- 
hind its mother’s apron, it is told: 

“Why fear? It is your grandpa!”’ 

The conceptions of the natives are often unfathom- 
able to a foreigner, but Father Glanemann is proud of 
the name, and could he count all those who thus address 
him, he says, you would agree with him that he is 
indeed a veritable Mathusala of grandfathers! 

In order successfully to counteract the efforts of Islam- 
ism, the participation of Sisters in mission work at Ruteng 
is indispensable. Five years before the missionary arrived 
in Ruteng, Manggarai had schools in the three chief places. 
The children, mostly sons of chiefs, were instructed by the 
catechist. The missionary, during his annual visit, ex- 
amined, instructed, and baptized them. Now they have 
left school, indeed, and many of them have followed their 
fathers in the assumption of the office of chief. But there 
are no Catholic girls in Ruteng, and there will be no 
Christian families until Christians marry. 

Finally the time came when we were compelled to 
take leave of Father Janssen and Brother Francis, and of 
Father Dorn as well. At eight o'clock the signal was given 
for departure, and we said “‘Salamat’’ (good-by) for the 
last time. The motor-boat took our three confréres off 
to shore, and once more Father General and I found our- 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 285 


selves alone, and expected to be thus for the next four 
weeks until we should meet more of our missionaries at 
Sydney, Australia. A certain Dr. Brix, a physician at 
Ruteng, had joined us, with the officer and soldiers of 
Ruteng. They were on their way to another stopping- 
place which the Van Outhorn was to make at the most 
western harbor of Flores, Labuan Badjo. Here we ar- 
rived at 3 p.m., leaving again at five and turning north- 
ward to Macassar, Celebes —- a distance of two hundred 
and ten miles. On Holy Thursday, April 13, Father 
General said Mass in the cabin, while I served and re- 
ceived holy Communion. It was an exceptionally strange 
Holy Week for us. 

Though we sighted the island of Celebes at half past 
ten in the morning we did not arrive in Macassar until 
five in the afternoon. Father Kapell of the Tilburg mis- 
sionaries of the Sacred Heart is in charge of the mission 
station of Macassar. He awaited us at the pier and con- 
ducted us to his hospitable pastorie. Macassar has about 
sixty thousand inhabitants, and is the capital of Celebes. 
Near the port live the natives: Macassars, Bugis, and Ma- 
lays; each in their own kampong, but on good terms 
with one another. The exports of Macassar, besides copra, 
consist of rattan, oil of cajuput, and macassar oil. Caju- 
put is a volatile oil from a tree which the Malays call 
the Rayu putih, or white tree, on account of the white 
bark which covers it. The oil is liquid, volatile, green, 
transparent, with a strong and agreeable odor. To the 
Chinese and Malays it is a veritable panacea: they give 
it for rheumatism, gout, paralysis, epilepsy, toothache, etc. 

~ Celebes has all things needful to make it one of the 
most fortunate countries in the Indies: an exceptionally 
fertile soil and a rich subsoil; an excellent climate, bays and 
natural harbors equally secure and numerous, and a vigor- 


286 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


ous and intelligent race. The smallest village in Celebes 
drives an active trade in copra, rattan, waxes, gums and 
resins, oils and hides, and (in the case of the coast vil- 
lages) dry fish and salt, beche-de-mer, and tortoise shell. 
The greater part of Celebes is still virgin soil; peace and 
order, the pacifying of the interior tribes, would enable 
the natives to break it up for cultivation, while the popu- 
lation, decimated by head hunting, would have an oppor- 
tunity to recuperate itself. 

As a mission station Macassar is badly handicapped 
by the fact that nearly all the inhabitants are Moham- 
medans. ‘The missionaries of the Sacred Heart took over 
this mission field in 1919 from the Jesuits. Only one 
priest and one Brother are stationed here, and of the five 
hundred Catholics about two hundred are Hollanders. 
Indeed this island of Celebes, in spite of its rich natural 
resources, is a very stony and thorny vineyard of the 
Lord. While Mohammedanism predominates, farther 
up in the north there are Protestants. “There are only 
eight priests in the entire prefecture apostolic. In the 
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the Portuguese mis- 
sionaries had baptized many thousands of the inhabitants, 
but when, in 1660, the Hollanders took possession of the 
island, the Catholic priests were compelled to leave, -while 
the Catholic inhabitants were Protestantized by force. 
Catholics who immigrated later on, remained for long 
times without pastoral care, because no priest could go 
to them save by special permission of the government. 

The residency of Menado, in the north of Celebes, is, 
perhaps, more densely populated and more wealthy than 
that of Macassar and its suburbs. It comprises all the 
northern portions of the island, and is divided into two 
districts; that of the Minahassa, in the northeastern por- 
tion of Celebes, and that of Gorontalo, with the Sangi 


PUPS] 10JOG JO SaAT}eNY 24} JO 
Meg e pure “GA's “Woy Joyye_ yWA “C'A’S ‘uspevrzjs19q doystg ‘drysp1oy stH 








A Group of Native Candidates for the Priesthood (Flores) 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 287 


or Sangir Islands. The capital, Menado (10,344 inhabit- 
ants, of whom 576 are Europeans, 2,784 Chinese, and 
300 Arabs), is built upon a site that is perhaps unique 
in the world —— a beautiful and spacious natural harbor, 
while close behind is a magnificent range of mountains. 
The European quarters consist of a few vast avenues, 
planted with magnificent trees, and running from the shore 
toward the mountains; the houses, even the finest, are 
of wood, and thatched with attap, so that they may not 
have the opulent air of the stone mansions of Batavia or 
Surabaya, but a cheerful freshness, which is the prevail- 
ing note of the city. The climate of Menado is extremely 
healthful, and the heat is tempered by the sea-breeze, 
so that the nights are cool. Epidemics are very rare. The 
number of Protestants, most of them living in Minahassa, 
is, at present, about 180,000, while the Catholics num- 
ber but 12,000. 

-On Good Friday and Holy Saturday —— April 14 and 
15 —— we were happy to participate in the last Holy Week 
ceremonies in a mission station. Some four hundred 
parishioners, belonging to the parish of Macassar —- Hol- 
landers, Malays, half-castes (half Dutch and half na- 
tive) —— and some fifty Florenese make up this parish. 
Father Kapell told us that the last-named are a credit to 
their home church, that they are practical Catholics, and 
always ready to co-operate in all festivities and solemn 
occasions, or decorating the church and taking part in the 
musical celebrations. During this Lent I had very much 
missed the real Lenten work that. I was wont to do in the 
United States —_ the ceremonies, confessions, sermons, etc. 
So, on Easter Sunday, when I had a chance to sing a 
High Mass, I felt like crying “Alleluia.’’ Father Kapell 
was deacon, and Father General subdeacon. I truly op- 
preciated this, for I knew that such an honor would. not 


288 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


easily come to me again. The choir was a credit to the 
little parish. It was made up mainly of “‘inlanders’’ (na- 
tives) and Hollanders (teachers, military officers, etc.) . 

Celebes, as I have said before, has been, since 1919, 
the prefecture apostolic of the Missionaries of the Sacred 
Heart (M.S.C.) of Tilburg (Dutch Province), but the 
German Fathers are helping out. Most of the eight 
priests on the island are at Menado in the Minahassa dis- 
trict, about three days’ journey by steamer to the north. 
Slowly we became reconciled to the fact that we had to. 
spend seventeen days here in Macassar, waiting for the S.S. 
Houtmann of the K.P.M., which was to take us to Sydney. 
But sometimes we worried, in spite of ourselves, over 
possibilities and probabilities; and we came to marvel 
anew at the patience of those men of God of olden times, 
even those of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth 
centuries, who had to brook terrible delays and setbacks 
when trying to reach their missionary destinations. For 
instance, St. Francis Xavier made the voyage from Lisbon, 
Portugal, to Goa, India, under dread conditions and delays 
which are well described in the older biographies of the 
saint’s life. Departing on April 7, 1541, he arrived at 
Mozambique, after a tedious voyage, at the end of 
August; and so great was the mortality on shipboard from 
scurvy and pestilential sickness that it was found necessary 
to winter at this settlement. At length, after a swift pas- 
sage across the Indian Ocean, the saint arrived in Goa on 
May 6, 1542.1 And again, we recalled the life of Blessed 
Spinola, an Italian Jesuit. He was appointed as mis- 
sionary to Japan. Leaving Lisbon, to sail around the 
Cape of Good Hope, a terrific storm carried the vessel so 
far from her course as to leave her along the coast of 


1 Cf. The Life of St, Francis Xavier, by M. T. Kelly (B. Her- 
der Book Co., 1918). pp. 77—85. 


IN THE NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 289 


England. Here Spinola was put ashore, and was obliged 
to wait six months before he could secure a passage back 
to Lisbon. Then he thought to try to reach Japan by 
way of America. He embarked for Central America, and 
after reaching there was obliged to wait for three years 
before he found an opportunity to proceed to Japan. He 
spent his time in America doing pastoral missionary work, 
and only reached his appointed mission field after seven 
years of various kinds of delays and patient waitings. 

It was now April 15 with us, and the steamer would 
touch our port on April 30, coming from Batavia on its 
way to Sydney, N.S. W. (a distance of 3,232 miles), 
which it was scheduled to reach on May 13. After that, 
God alone knew when we should have a chance to travel 
the remaining 1,930 miles up to Rabaul (New Britain), 
and finally, the last 400 miles from Rabaul to Madang, 
New Guinea. Truly, there are long, long stretches on 
the mission trail! 


ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL — II 19 


290 ALONG THE MISSION TRAIL 


Short List of Literature Concernin3, the 
Netherlands East Indies 


Bickmore, Albert S., M. A. Travels in the East Indian Archipelago. 
New York. 1921, The Century Company. 

Cabaton, A. Java and the Dutch East Indies. London. 1911. T. 
Fisher Unwin. . 

Carpenter, Frank G. Java and the East Indies. Garden City (N.Y.) 
1925. Doubleday, Page and Company. . 

Couperus, Louis. Eastward. ‘Translated by J. Menzies-Wilson and 
C. C. Crispin. New York. 1924. George H. Doran. Company. 

(The third part of this work deals exclusively with journey- 

ings on the islands of Bali and Java.) 

Forbes, Henry O., F.R.G.S. A Naturalist’s Wanderings in the 
Eastern Archipelago. New York. 1923. Harper and Brothers, 

Greenbie, Sydney. The Pacific Triangle. New York. 1921. The Cen- 
tury Company. 

Hall, James Norman, and Nordhoff, Charles Bernard. Faery Lands 
of the South Seas. New York. Harper and Brothers. ~ 

Higginson, S. J. Java, the Pearl of the East. Boston. Houghton, 
Mifflin Company. 

Kleintitjens, J.. S.J. Dutch Missions. Holland. 1924. Presented by 
the Rotterdamsche Lloyd. 

Poe, Clarence. Where Half the World is Waking Up. Garden 
City (N.Y.) 1911. Doubleday, Page and Company. 

Powell, E. Alexander. Where the Strange Trails Go Down. New 
York. 1921. Charles Schribner’s Sons. 

Scidmore, Eliza Ruhamah. Java, the Garden of the East. New 
York. 1898. The Century Company, 

Torchiana, H. A., Van Coenen. Tropical Holland. Chicago. 1923. 
The University of Chicago Press. 

Walcott, Arthur S. Java and Her Neighbors. New York. 1914. 
G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 

Wallace, Alfred Russell. The Malay Archipelago. New York, 1869. 
Harper and Brothers. 


Dutch Mission Periodicals 


Berichten wit Nederlandsch Oost-Indie voor de Leden van den Sint- 
Claverbond. ’s Gravenhage, Da Costastrat 44, Holland. 


Annalen van O. L.. van Het H. Hart. Toelatingexamen Apostolische 
School. Missiehuis — Tilburg, Holland. 

De Katholieke Missien. En Het Christelijk Huisgezin. Missiehuis 
St. Willibrordus, Uden (N.-Br.) 

Het Missiewerk. Tijdschrift voor Missiekennis en Misseactie. C. 
N. Teuling’ Kon. Drukkerijen, ’s Hertogenbosch. 

Onze Missien in Oost-en West-Indie. Kolonial Missie-Tijdschrift 
van de Indische Missie-Vereeniging. Redactieen Administratie- 
adres: Msgr. M. J. Claessens, Putstraat 63, Sittard. 














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